The Oracle
by LadyBaSingSe
Summary: Kataang. They are perfect for each other. Friends, lovers, soulmates... but they are flawed by one thing and one thing only; the Princess of Fire.
1. The Fall

**Book One: The Oracle**

**Chapter One: The Fall**

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_A/N:_ This is a different format than my other stories. That's because this one hopefully won't suck... but mostly because this one will be much longer; probably a trilogy. I really hope you enjoy this, because it's the first story I've completely planned out in my head from beginning to end. OH... and yes, _please_ review. I most likely won't continue if I don't get reviews. R&Enjoy&R.

_Disclaimer: _I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

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It'd taken a good half hour to open the door to the throne room. No one knew what was going on in there, and no one really had a chance to try and check. There were several dozen battles raging within the entire palace, everyone well over the 'stare-down' stage, and knee deep in the fight.

No one seemed to give up, but many fell. Katara felt so lucky; no one she knew was hurt badly in any sense, just sticking to what they needed to do and following through to the end. Her father and brother were in pristine condition, not even a scratch on them. Toph was fighting more than several fire nation guards, and winning to boot. Suki was helping Sokka with what he was up against, and everyone else seemed to be fine as well.

Katara was the only one who'd even suffered wounds: There was a reddish-black mark from the middle section of the left side of her neck, across and down to the bottom of her shoulder on the same side. There was a small, insignificant cut under her right eye, and a deep gash on her upper right leg. This wound had actually damaged her water tribe attire to the point of no return. Not to mention the amount of blood and ash that had unleashed itself onto the blue fabric, staining it permanently.

As Toph and Katara broke down the door to the room Aang and Ozai were in, a deep feeling of hope and satisfaction filled her mind. She knew Aang could do it, she knew it would follow through for the world... that he was strong enough to defeat such a great and terrible evil.

Her eyes laid upon the dead and beaten body of the once Phoenix Lord Ozai. She winced at the sight of it, and inspected the remains of the room. It was much like the rest of the palace; destroyed, crumbled and weakened. She didn't know how much more the building could take, and didn't want to stay much longer to find out.

"Where's Aang?" Katara said, turning to Toph.

The young earthbender pointed to a wall accompanying a large pile of rubble. Katara raised an eyebrow, but followed her finger's lead, knowing for a fact if anyone could see where he was, it'd be Toph.

They approached the opposite side of the crumbled pillar, seeing Aang almost instantly as they swooped around it. He was on his side, his eyes closed and breathing sharp, uneven breaths.

Katara fell to her knees, pulling Aang to a sitting position who whimpered weakly in her arms. She grasped him in a tight embrace, holding her tears back.

"Aang?"

His eyes fluttered open and he smiled vaguely after catching a glimpse of the beautiful waterbender holding him for dear life. His breathing became even quicker and his body trembled uncontrollably.

"K-Kata... Katara?"

She nodded and he smiled a little wider this time, his eyes still only half open. Katara pulled him into a tighter hug, feeling her tears graze her cheeks.

"It... hurts..." he moaned, his body now stalk-still in her embrace.

"I know, Aang, I know. Shh..." she replied in a soft whisper, stroking the back of his head rhythmically.

"I... I did it..."

She nodded once again, tears now flowing freely down her face. She shut her eyes tightly to keep them from tempting to fall.

"Yes, you did, Aang. Now stay with me... you're going to be okay."

Katara dug her teeth into her bottom lip with an unforgivable pressure, causing the delicate skin to break and exposing more blood. Her body began to take his place with the violent trembling, but her soft cries remained silent and undetected to him.

"No... I can't..." he murmured, eyes fluttering.

"You... you can't what, Aang?"

"I..." Aang's eyes shut and his breathing became unnaturally slow.

She shook him, no longer feeling a heartbeat.

"Aang? Aang! Wake... wake up..." she managed as her tears became more pronounced and she stared at the still body in her loving embrace.

His eyes fluttered once more, even less opened than before and gazed up into her brilliant azure eyes.

"Katara... I... I love you..." he said, the tiniest smile on his lips.

Katara slammed her eyes shut again. She could feel her heart shatter when looking at him this way. Watching him give up right before her eyes. She wasn't even shocked by what he said. It made her feel better in a strange and twisted kind of way. She didn't know how to respond though. Did she love him back? Did she want to let him know she loved him?

Her head spun and she suddenly felt dizzy... felt feint and weak. She did love him. She did want him to know.

"Aang, I..."

As she brought him back into view, he didn't stare back. There wasn't strange or uneven breath emitting from his cold, injured body. There was nothing. Lifelessness.

"I... I... l-love you... t-too," she admitted to his disconnected body in between deep sobs. She finally let go. She was spilling her heart onto him through her tears and he wasn't even there to feel it. She was too late. She just had to think it through. Had to let her analytical mind take part in her actions yet again. _Typical Katara._ She mocked herself in her head, continuing to drain herself of feeling or energy.

She pulled him even tighter to her, her eyes shut ever so tightly in an attempt to keep the cruel and unfair world away from them. She didn't even care what happened now. She didn't even care that there was still danger within the cursed palace they were in. She welcomed death. She wanted it to take her so that she could be with the boy she loved so dearly, so passionately it scared her. It scared her so much that she didn't even have the time to respond as she wanted to his final words of love.

Her face stayed in a scrunched position, her eyes slammed and locked tightly, her upper teeth clamped down on her lip, her loud sobs echoing off the walls of the demolished room. Her face was drenched with tears, old and new, along with sweat and drying blood. She pulled Aang even closer in an endearing manner, her face buried into his sweet, intoxicating smell that lingered even through the stench of smoke within the horrid walls. She laid soft and affectionate kisses on his jaw line and neck, praying for it to bring him back, her tears running down his chest in the process.

"No..." she muttered, running her hand down Aang's arm, finding her destination and grabbing onto his hand.

"Please... No..." Her cries became louder and she hadn't paid any attention to her friends and family standing a few yards away. They all had grief strewn across their face as the young girl tried everything humanly possible to awaken the boy in her arms from his deep and permanent slumber.

"You... you can't... l-leave me..."

Sokka took a step nearer to his sister, but a persistent hand kept him in place. He turned and looked at his father in confusion, but sighed as the man shook his head. Sokka got the message and walked out of the room along with Toph, Suki, and Haru.

"Why?!" he heard his sister yell from the room he'd just exited. "WHY?!" she screeched, louder this time, her voice bouncing off of every wall still intact and piercing Sokka in the heart. He clutched himself as if her words of pain and sorrow and confusion were literally striking and breaking through his skin, causing lethal damage. He shivered slightly as he held the tears that threatened to fall at bay.

Hakoda and Zuko ushered the others out of the room, giving Katara her space. She sat there motionless, aside from the shaking her sobs caused her.

She found it hard to open her eyes. Everything was dark in her head. Everyone was the enemy. There was no where to go, no escape or way out. She was locked behind closed eyes.

She whispered sweet things in his ear, but suddenly stopped as her eyes finally shot open.

"C-couldn't be..." she said, now noticing the glowing streaks of silverish-blue running down the boy's cheek, neck and torso. She stared at him, an endless quaking frown on her lips, but her tears ceased to fall as she kept as still as possible.

"Aang?" she asked, a tinge of begging in her voice. She peered down at his hand intertwined with hers and then back at his face.

His neck tightened in her grip and he began to cough forcefully. She almost choked on her own breath as she inhaled sharply in excitement. She slowly rubbed his back, trying to help him catch his breath so he wouldn't go out again. Somehow, someway, she'd healed him, but it didn't matter. All that mattered now was keeping him alive long enough to maintain his living status.

When his coughing fit was over, he opened his eyes into slits. A small smile played across his face, and the same memory flashed through both their minds: the coup at Ba Sing Se.

If it was similar, though, Aang was going to make it. She wouldn't have to lose him and she wouldn't have to deal with this sort of thing again. The war was over.

Katara could feel tears rushing back to her eyes, this time around, tears of joy instead of sorrow.

"Ka... Ka..."

"Shh, Aang, shh..."

As her fresh tears fell, they continued to glow with her healing properties, and Katara held the young Avatar closer.

"I... love... you..." Aang managed through deep breaths. She could feel her frown slowly turning into a smile as he said these words, knowing that this time, she had the chance to respond.

"I love you too, Aang. So... so much. You better not leave me again."

He laughed softly, wincing at the pain it caused his abdomen.

"Does... this mean... I'm go... gonna... grow hair... again?" he questioned with a bit of monotone sarcasm in his voice.

She giggled at him.

"Hey, who knew? There _was_ an upside to this whole thing."

He shook his head lightly and shifted in her arms, slowly closing his eyes. He let out one long breath and no longer spoke. He was out cold, but this time, he was breathing.

She sighed, disappointed, but content at the same time. He was going to live. But he was probably going to go through the same thing as he did when Azula hit him. Like daughter, like father she supposed... So she would have to deal with him asleep for a while, what did it matter? He was still alive.

She could deal with that for now.

While she slowly and delicately rocked Aang as they sat on the rough carpet floor, the others outside the room caused a murmur of sound. They were all asking questions and trying to figure out what was going on. Toph on the other hand already knew.

"Sokka?" she said, grasping the boy's shirt in her fingers, "Either I'm losing my touch... or Twinkletoes is alive."

The young warrior sighed.

"Toph... you saw him. He's gone. You even said so yourself..."

Toph just shook her head, getting a tad aggravated already.

"No... I just felt one heartbeat... and now there's two."

"Someone probably went in there to check on Katara. It's not him. He's... he's _gone_."

"Sokka..." she pleaded, "Have I ever been wrong before?"

He sighed yet again.

"Is this some sick joke, Toph? You know this isn't the time to play games. Seriously, have some respect for the poor kid."

Toph growled under her breath, pushing him back and forth while his shirt was still in her grasp.

"Sokka! Aang. Is. Alive. I'm telling you! I know!"

Sokka lifted his drooped head from defeat and lightened up a bit. He glanced between Toph and the doorway to the throne room.

"Are you sure about this?"

She nodded.

"Positive."

Sokka took one more glance at Toph, raised his eyebrow and then, unexpectedly picked her up and hugged her. He squeezed her waist and spun around happily.

"S-Sokka! Put me... down!" she yelled at him. He frowned and finally released her. As he set her on the ground, she dusted herself off and fixed her hair.

"Toph! Do you know what this means?!"

"Um..." she started, "Twinkletoes is alive?"

He nodded.

"Yes! And do you know what that means?"

"He's not... dead?"

Sokka rolled his eyes at the younger girl, obviously irritated.

"Yes, Toph... but _that _means we get to keep Katara!"

"Uh... we already have Katara... what are you getting at, Snoozles?"

He shook his head and began pacing back in forth in front of her.

"Do you have any idea what would have happened to Katara if he died?"

Toph raised an eyebrow as he stopped pacing and faced her once again with his hand stroking his chin.

"Oh... well, then I guess it's good he's not dead, huh?"

"Toph!" He flung his arms out as if to emphasize his point. "Of course it's good! It's fantastic!"

She laughed lightly.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go see him!"

Sokka nodded and walked into the colossal room, people eyeing them as they did so. Hakoda gave his son a disapproving look, and this let Sokka know that he and Toph were the only ones besides his sister who knew the truth. The scuttled in, finding the spot they left the two with ease.

Katara looked up at her friends, her eyes red from crying, but a smile on her face. She was gently rocking the young airbender, holding him close in her arms. Her hair was out of her braid, sprawled out before her, and lying on the boy in her embrace.

"Sokka? Toph?" she questioned, obviously wondering what they were doing in there. Sokka kneeled before his sister, sitting on the back of his legs, his hands in his lap.

"How is he?"

Katara leaned her head on Aang's gingerly, and stared up at her friends.

"He spoke. He's alright... just needs to sleep is all."

Sokka nodded.

"Do you want me to carry him? You've had a long day and your leg probably won't do well under the weight of both of you."

Katara shifted her leg a little, staring down at the large gash near her thigh. She then looked back up and shook her head. Sokka sighed softly, but nodded and his sister wrapped the young Avatar's arm around her neck, helping him to stand. He wasn't even awake, but she managed, soon picking him up from the back of the knees and holding him in her arms as she stood.

Sokka and Toph escorted her out, the boy still in her warm and loving arms. People turned their heads to look and weeped for his life, not knowing he still lived.

Toph shushed the crowd, calming them with words of the Avatar's survival, and they soon fell quiet; if not for Aang's sake, then for Katara's.

"What's going on?" Hakoda asked his son as they walked down the halls and out of the palace, people following and looking at the many bodies and rubble scattered on the ground.

Sokka smiled a bit at his question.

"I'm not sure, but whatever it is, Aang is alive."

Hakoda nodded.

All the friends of the Avatar and companions of the ones he knew head out into the afternoon sun. There were new arrivals, such as fire nation soldiers that decided to join the opposing side, other people who'd learned of the showdown and planned on aiding, and northern water tribers who swooped in just at the right time.

"K-Katara?" Haru said nervously, meeting the waterbender at the side. He was leary on giving her the news he was told to give. She looked at him through saddened, yet apprehensive blue eyes, egging him to spit it out.

"Yes?" she said after an elongated silence.

He glared at Teo and Sokka who were now dodging his gaze.

"Um... I have some... particularly bad news..." he replied, blatantly having trouble configuring sentences.

She nodded and stopped for a minute, giving her full attention to Haru, who continued.

"Well... A-Azula... escaped."

Katara stared at her friend with confused eyes. She picked up her pace again, a slight limp in her step as she walked.

"How did this happen?" she questioned, tears forming once more. "I remember knocking her unconscious... maybe even worse. I don't see how she could've just left without a fight."

Haru desperately avoided her watery eyes.

"I... I don't know."

Neither of them spoke of anything for the rest of the walk to Appa. Quite a number were staying behind in order to control any other war activity breakouts, and some people just headed home.

Toph, Sokka, Hakoda and Katara with Aang took off into the midday sun atop Appa's back. This war was finished, along with Ozai, but Azula was still out there somewhere. They all knew their newest and most important duty; help Aang heal. Be it spiritually, mentally or physically, and hopefully all of the above.

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_A/N:_ Okay, how did you like? Please take the time to review, it doesn' t take that long and it helps me improve with my writing. Please no flaming. Aang is not dead, and I know it's somewhat cliche that Katara healed him with her tears, but I couldn't kill Aangy. He's too strong of a character. ;) So... please review. I won't continue the story without at least 5 reviews; and thanks for doing so!

Also, I would like to say, these chapters take a little longer to write than usual, so bear with me on taking a while to compose them. Thanks again.

-Katara


	2. New Destinations

**Book One: The Oracle**

**Chapter Two: New Destinations**

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_A/N:_ This chapter was so easy to write. My fingers just flowed it onto the computer so fast. I guess there is an upside to thoroughly planning things out before writing. "-.- Also, this chapter just explains a little about where their going and why. That's pretty much it. Knock yourself out. :) And please R&R. I live for reviews. :D

_Disclaimer:_ I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

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There was a loud growl that emitted from the bison below them. He'd been flying for two hours now, and along with that was the battle, so everyone could see he was fatigued.

"Sokka, pull him down. I think he should get some rest before he passes out in the middle of the forest," Katara suggested, sitting up a bit on Appa's saddle and readjusting Aang in her lap.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that for awhile now, but there's no where to land." Sokka put his hand over his forehead in an attempt to shade his eyes from the sun. He looked back and forth at the ground, seeing nothing but trees and greenery. After a bit more flying, he spotted a small lake with a clearing big enough to fit Appa, and if they were lucky, a tent or two. Sokka tugged at the reins and Appa soared directly toward the land near the pool of glistening water.

As Appa hit the ground, his legs went out from under him and he collapsed into an instant slumber. Sokka departed from the large beast and arched his back and arms in order to stretch. Katara and Hakoda lifted Aang off of Appa and Toph got off as well to let the bison sleep.

Sokka climbed back onto him after his body was rid of kinks and pulled most of their supplies to the ground. He began to set up camp by starting the tent and putting the tarp up even though it was obvious it wasn't going to rain. This was because he knew his sister would want it and he had to keep her happy. In the state she was in, who knew what she could manage if just one little thing set her off.

Even to Sokka's surprise, Katara thanked him gingerly for doing so, and he felt good after the fact with himself for doing the right thing.

It seemed it was a very good spot that they happened across, because they could fit all four tents in the area with a bit of room left over for a campfire if it was needed.

Katara entered a pale blue tent when everything was set up, Aang in her arms. She set him down carefully and laid herself down next to him. She just stared at him for a while, tears commanded not to fall, and watched him sleep like she did so many times when he was out after the catacombs. She wanted him to be awake so badly. She wanted to talk to him and hug him and tell him everything was going to be okay.

She scooted towards him a bit more, admiring his peaceful form. She put an arm around his mid-back and held him close to her, placing her forehead affectionately against his and closed her eyes. Sooner than she realized, she drifted off to sleep in the young airbender's presence.

"Katara, I thi-" Hakoda stopped himself as he entered her tent, looking down at the two bodies in close proximity of each other, but neither awake. He shook his head and exited, letting the tent flaps flail behind him.

"She's already asleep," he said to Sokka, motioning behind him with his thumb. Sokka nodded and took out their map from his pack.

"Hey, Sokka, where are we going to go now?" Toph asked, taking a seat by him as he unravelled the parchment.

Sokka shrugged.

"Dad?"

Hakoda sat in front of the two and pointed to a fire nation peninsula on the item in his son's hands.

"Here," he answered. "I need to get on a boat that'll be picking me up. It's headed for home, and to tell you the truth, I just tagged along with you guys to make sure no one tried anything funny right after Ozai's defeat."

Sokka raised an eyebrow and shifted his eyes from the peninsula to the icy tundra near the south.

"Home," he breathed.

Hakoda nodded, smiling.

"Yes, you should head there too, actually."

"But Aang's in some weird coma again and we still have to deal with Azula."

They both sighed.

"True, but that doesn't mean you can't go home. With Azula, there isn't really a time line. There's not a comet coming and she's pretty weak right now since ninety percent of the world is on our side."

Sokka rested his head on his hand and looked at the ground.

"A trip home would be nice..."

"I need to head home, too," Toph said, remembering her parents at the thought of 'home'. Both the boys looked at her.

"You won't be helping when we fight Azula?"

The earthbender nodded, closing her pale green eyes.

"Of course, but I need to speak to my parents first."

Sokka smiled and pat her on the shoulder.

"Alright. So it's settled. First we go here," Sokka pointed to the spot on the map, "We'll drop you off there, dad. Then, we'll go to the town of Gaoling and Toph can speak with her parents. Finally, after that, we can depart for the South Pole and from there... well, we'll figure it out."

Toph and Hakoda nodded in agreement.

"Well, it'll be nightfall in about an hour. We should go to sleep now so we can get an early start in the morning," Hakoda said, smiling softly at the two teens before him. They listened to him and head off to their tents until daybreak.

--

Katara was awakened by a hand pushing her tenderly back and forth. As she opened her eyes, she gazed down at yellow and orange, then began blushing as she remembered where she slept the night before. She moaned, irritated at whoever was waking her, and buried her head as far as she could into Aang's chest. She could feel as it rose and fell under her, a sensation that easily put her to sleep. The hand that rested on her side shook her again and she reluctantly sat upwards, resting on her hand and using the other to rub her eyes.

"Morning, sis. Did you sleep well last night?" Sokka said with a tinge of sarcasm in his voice.

Her body spared his comment a blush and she simply rolled her eyes.

"Yes, actually."

Sokka softly laughed to himself.

"I'm sure he did, too," he retorted.

Katara blinked rapidly a few times and looked back at Aang.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all," he shrugged.

Katara sighed at him.

"Right..."

She pushed off the floor and tried to get up, but a pain shot through her leg and she glanced down at it. She winced as the pain flowed again, this time running all the way up to her spine and reminding her of her injuries. She inhaled sharply and fell back to the ground, landing on her elbows and lower arms to give her upper body support.

"I'll get you some water," Sokka said, urgency in his voice.

Katara nodded and shut her eyes tightly. As she waited, she took deep and slow breaths, in through her nose and out through her mouth.

Once Sokka came back, she sat up again, extending her leg this time so it didn't contract the muscles. She was handed her waterbending pouch full of fresh water and began to bend it onto her skin near her thigh. It glowed a silver-blue and she instantly felt soothed.

"Thanks," Katara said to her brother, still rotating the liquid around her exposed wound.

He nodded, but didn't leave. The two siblings stood there in silence as Katara used her healing abilities on her wound.

"What?" she asked, noticing him staring at her.

He shook his head.

"Nothing... just... don't take this the wrong way or anything, but you don't look any better than you did yesterday."

"Huh?"

He sighed.

"I mean, I expected you to be happier when you found out he wasn't really... gone. I just don't understand. You're still acting like you're missing something."

Katara bent the water into the pouch and pulled her knees to her chin. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, feeling the rush of tears coming again.

"Sokka... I am missing something."

The water tribe warrior glanced down at the young, unconscious Avatar. How could a sight so peaceful, so serene, cause his sister so much pain?

He dropped his head in shame.

"I'm sorry, Katara. None of us wanted this."

He approached her and knelt by her side, giving her a large, warm hug. She returned it, eyes still spilling over with tears.

"Thanks, Sokka. Just give me a little more time to lie down, okay?"

"I'd love to," he said, standing up, "but we need to hit the sky soon."

She smiled and wiped her eyes once more.

"Okay. Tell dad I'll be out in a few minutes. I need to change."

"Into what?" Sokka asked, furrowing his brow.

She shrugged.

"Our fire nation clothing, I suppose." She looked down at her torn and ruined kimono. "I can't really wear this..."

"Alright. You've got five minutes. And if Aang wakes up, I have all the right to laugh."

She smiled softly at her brother as he made his way to the exit.

"Sadly, I don't think that's going to happen."

He turned around and eyed her, amused.

"Sadly? What, you want him to see you changing?"

"Well," she shrugged, "if it means him waking up, why not?"

He shook his head, rolled his eyes and left.

The whole campsite was packed up in less than ten minutes. Sokka was a little mad at Katara because she didn't use her tent the night before, but decided making a scene out of it wouldn't solve anything. He just shrugged it off and figured it was good to use hindsight every once in a while.

To Katara's slight disappointment, the conversation with her brother triggered no difference in the means of Aang waking up. Not that she wanted him to see her naked or anything, but she wouldn't of cared if that's what had woken the young Avatar. Of course there would always be the strange awkward moment, but it was better than having him completely lifeless like he seemed to be at the moment. She just wouldn't stand for it.

Once everyone was on Appa, they all took their usual spots on his saddle and struck up conversation. Toph was telling Sokka about the night before when she woke up to Momo's rear end falling on her face and was almost scared senseless. He couldn't help but laugh, knowing scaring Toph was one of the hardest things to do, and congratulated the little lemur. Hakoda was sitting by his daughter, explaining where they were going to go over the next few weeks and why. At one point during the conversation, she found herself absentmindedly tracing the arrow on Aang's right hand with her fingertips.

"That's okay, Toph," Sokka said after her story, laughing to himself. "This one time I- WHOA!"

Sokka was cut short on his story when a large fire ball shot past him and Appa's head. It exploded a few feet above them, causing purple and blue sparks to rain down on their heads. It could've been a pretty sight if it wasn't so dangerously close to catching Appa on fire.

The four gazed down below them, looking at an island in the middle of the lake they flew above. It had a small town on the edge of it with many people gathered outside.

Sokka pulled at Appa's reins, and two minutes later, landed him near the large group of people there. He jumped off of the bison in one swoop, running through the crowd and toward the people shooting fireworks into the sky, leaving the rest of the group speechless.

He stopped and watched them shoot a few more off, but then spoke.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he yelled at one of the men who continued with the show even with yelling in his ear. The man didn't even acknowledge Sokka.

"You almost hit us! Didn't you see us?" he questioned, furiously, but was soon tapped on the shoulder.

Sokka turned around and faced a scrawny man with a pointy red hat and dark scarlet clothing.

"Hello, there. Please refrain from touch them. They are very busy right now," he stated, putting a hand on Sokka's back and dragging him away from the five men.

"You don't understand," Sokka complained, crossing his arms, "They almost hit us when we were in the sky. That could've hurt our bison and we're trying to get-"

"Bison?" the man said, raising an eyebrow and cutting the warrior off.

Sokka nodded and continued.

"You see, we were trying to-"

"What kind of bison?" he inquired, leaving Sokka with an unfinished sentence yet again.

"A... a flying bison. What other kind of bison would get hit by fireworks if they're in the sky?"

The man shook off Sokka's sarcasm and his eyes widened.

"You're with the Avatar?"

He nodded once again.

"Yeah, so be careful when you're shooting fireworks into the air!"

"Could I speak with the Avatar?"

Sokka narrowed his eyes.

"No... we kinda have to get going."

"Then why did you come down here?" the man in scarlet asked.

"Because you're shooting fireworks while we're-"

"The fireworks stand for the first day of freedom from Fire Lord Ozai," he stated impeccably, raising a finger as if to get his point across.

Sokka sighed.

"I am Rilrin, and you are?" he asked kindly, patting Sokka on the back.

"My name's Sokka..."

"Sokka, come. You need supplies. You have a long journey ahead of you."

The water tribe warrior growled under his breath, but followed the man anyway. As the two passed Appa, Toph jumped off and followed Sokka as well, having no idea what was going on and trying to get it out of him. Katara and Hakoda stayed with Aang, Appa and Momo, but watched as their two companions walked away into a nearby building.

Sokka was getting very aggravated with Rilrin. All he wanted to do was yell at him for interrupting him and not listening to him complain. He just wanted to get going, really. They _did_ need food, but this place was a bit too creepy.

As they entered the shop, Rilrin instantly began picking up food and placing it into a bag.

"Fish, moon peaches, leeche nuts..." he said as he named off the foods he placed in the container.

"You see," Rilrin stated to the teens behind him, "This is the town of Chun. It was built by a great leader. Chun was the twin of Chin, and if we hear the stories correctly, the Avatar has done a great deed for our counterpart village." Toph and Sokka just stood at the door as he paid for it and handed it to them in a swift and clumsy manner.

"Yeah, we've been to Chin." He looked down at all the food in his arms. "Thank you, but how did you know-"

"No, no. Just a 'thank you' is fine. Now go. You need to get going."

Sokka raised an eyebrow, but took the man's advice, officially scared of him. He and Toph got on Appa again and took off into the sky.

"What was that about?" asked Katara, confusion written all over her face.

The fireworks ceased for the moment, letting them pass. Sokka shrugged.

"Who knows."

Toph glanced back in the direction of the Earth, her head sticking over the edge of Appa's saddle.

"Weirdest town _ever_," she said, stiffling a yawn.

Katara picked up the bag that was set next to her and rummaged through it.

"There's food in here for like... three weeks... how'd you get the money to pay for this?"

"That guy bought it," Sokka replied, leaning back a little on Appa's head.

"Because the Fire Nation is weird," Toph added.

Sokka looked over his shoulder and smirked at her. It took him a few more seconds to realize why she didn't return the gesture.

And again they were off, flying out into the rising sun.

* * *

_A/N:_ Update. 6-27-08: As you may have noticed, I've made a few tweaks to this chapter. Thanks for the insight guys. You rock and I don't know what I'd do without you.

Update. 7-3-08: Chapter 3 may not be on until I get back from vacation (which would be about a month) I'm terribly sorry about this, and it will be good, I assure you. Thank you to all my loyal reviewers!

Please R&R!

-Katara


	3. Whole Again

**Book One: The Oracle**

**Chapter Three: Whole Again**

* * *

_A/N: _Hehe, you guys are very perceptive readers.

Sokkas Instincts 2: I'm not trying to make her sound like she wants him to _see her_, I'm trying to portray her as broken and lost without him (which she is) but since Sokka brought it up, it just happens to be crossing her mind. I changed it a little bit to make it sound a bit more distant. If you can find where that is - great, if not, oh well, lol. If you have any suggestions on how to explain this better or more thoroughly, please message or e-mail me. Thank you so much!

Aangsfan: Grr... I'll make it so she literally woke up to his rear. He fell on her; I fixed it a bit in chapter 2. Wow, I felt so slow after reading your review. "-.- Even after the 'took him a seconds to figure out why she didn't return the gesture' line, too. Dang. Thanks for catching that.

Also, in the sense of things I've fixed, I explained a little more why Rilrin was helping them. You don't have to re-read since it's not essential to the story, but just know it's there.

Hakoda's pretty aggravating in this chappie. That's not really how he usually is, but in this chapter it just kinda became a thing... so don't worry.

And finally, I'd like to say (to rap up this reeeally long author's note), Yay! I got to use the computer at my friends house, so thank her that you didn't have to wait 2 months to read this. I was almost done when I left, but I finished it up here. :D

_Disclaimer:_ I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

* * *

Four of the five flyers were so exhausted from being in the air. Even Momo was less energenic than usual, taking longer-than-needed naps in Toph or Hakoda's laps. He made sure to stay away from Sokka, Katara and Aang, though. Sokka, because needless to say, he was getting more than sick of steering. Hakoda offered several times to take over, but Sokka was quite stubborn about it, telling him things like 'I can do it', 'I'm the only one fit without Aang here', 'Appa wouldn't be comfortable without my steering' and other such nonsense. But Hakoda didn't want anyone in a bad mood, so he ceased his offers.

Katara and Aang were another story all together. Katara seemed to become a lot like Toph over the past week and a half. It was like she could sense everything. Movement, sound, voices... She didn't have a very kind aura about her, either. Everything always irritated her. Momo and the gaang most of all.

Katara didn't want to be touched by anyone. If someone just tried to tap her shoulder to wake her, she'd get angry. The only skin contact she'd allow at all was hers to Aang's, but that was only because she constantly held him in a tight death grip. Her muscles were so stiff it was hard to believe she didn't cramp something up. Hakoda was afraid she was going to strangle the poor boy. He even thought about commenting on it, but swiftly decided against it.

"Hey, Snoozles?..." Toph asked, half-not expecting a response.

Sokka rubbed his right eye lazily with the base of his palm and slouched over a bit on Appa's head.

"Yeah?" he questioned, letting her know she had his attention.

Toph crawled over to the brim of Appa's saddle. She supported her lower arms on it and placed her chin delicately on top, gazing in Sokka's direction with her pale green eyes.

"I know this is probably the last thing you wanna hear, but are we there yet?"

He peeked at her over his shoulder. Her eyes were somewhere in the distance, and if they were of use, they'd be staring at the seemingly endless clouds. He smiled a bit at her.

"No sarcasm today, huh?" he asked, the comment followed by a calming silence. They listened as the wind rushed by them causing a soft whistle and the moist air prickled their skin ever so cautiously. "Yeah, actually. It should be soon now that we see the peak of the bay."

"Where're the maps, Sokka?" Hakoda suddenly asked with a strange urgency from farther back in the saddle. He was settled a few feet from his daughter who stared out into nowhere unconsiously. The Chief of the Southern Water Tribe was burying his hands through the pit of Sokka's bag, his own laying hapless next to him, things sprawling out.

The fifteen year old boy growled a bit under his breath. This caused his father to sneer in his direction as if his mere growl was a heinous deed.

"How'm I supposed to know?" he asked with a dangerous twist in his voice. Appa picked up on the negative vibes and grumbled loudly, shushing everyone aboard the large air bison.

It was quite for a while, the silence now eerie. It didn't last for long since there was so many hostile feelings on board, but the moment wasn't exactly cherished either.

"No, really Sokka... where are the maps? I can't find them anywhere."

"Did you try the front pouch?" he almost immediately responded.

"Yes I- ...No." The older man flipped the front of the pack open and pulled out three slightly discolored and tarnished pieces of parchment. He unfolded and flattened them against the tan material of Appa's saddle.

After hearing the crinkling of paper and silence from his father, he assumed they were where he last left them.

"See, if you actually _look_..."

"Sokka, you don't have to be rude about it, we're all tired and-"

"Why do you even need the maps, anyway? I know where I'm going."

Hakoda sighed.

"It's not that, it's just-"

"Will you two be quiet?!" boomed Katara's voice. Both of their eyes widened in shock. Neither had heard the waterbender say even one word for at least the past two days. "I am tired of your constant _bickering_ and _hostility_. Why can't you just _shut up_ and leave each other alone?! If you had any idea what I was feeling right now... any idea in the slightest, you'd want to throw yourself over this saddle and fall. Just keep falling and falling and falling until there was nothing." She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes but refused to let them escape as her vision became increasingly foggy. "But you know why I don't? Because I have hope! Because I care! Do _you_ care?... Do you?!"

Toph, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, slowly flipped herself over and laid on her back. Sokka narrowed his eyes as he looked out into the horizon and Hakoda lowered his head in shame.

"Of course we care, sweetheart, we-"

"Then act like it!"

Katara despised using this tactic... making herself vulnerable by being pitied. She absolutely loathed the idea of being pitied by anyone, but felt as if she had no choice. All anyone ever did anymore was fight and she was sick of it. Hours on end was filled with silence and unpleasant or inimical conversations. It was times like this she missed Aang. Aang would know what to do. Aang would be able to keep the peace. Aang would make everyone understand and feel better. Aang would...

She sighed.

Aang...

Such a simple word; a single, lone name, but yet at the same time, the source of her nightmares. Her fear. Her discourage and hate for the world.

Aang...

Her spiritual connection. Her life. Her love.

How could such a simple name haunt her so much? Scare her and also give her butterflies?

Katara stared down at the boy in her arms through the silence. She bent down at her neck a bit to kiss the top of his head. Her lips softly touched to the black hair growing there and smiled against it. She promised herself she'd let it grow. It was one of her favorite features about him. His arrows, his eyes (definitely his eyes), and his hair.

Sokka's voice broke her reverie.

"Hey, look down there. That's the bay. It'll only be about ten more minutes 'til we reach the edge of the peninsula."

Toph sighed heavily and fluttered her sightless eyes as her hands trailed down the sides of her face. This gave her a look of agony and relief at the same time.

"Thank goodness! My feet miss the ground," she commented sourly.

As the minutes went by, Hakoda stared openly at his daughter with affection as she mumbled to the boy in her arms. His blue eyes then became a downpour of sadness as he frowned at her.

"Katara?" he asked as softly as he could. She looked up at him with kind eyes, her mouth slightly parted. "Er... you'll be saying goodbye to me, right?"

She blinked at him a few times.

"When I leave... on the ship... I mean, I know I'll see you again in a few months, but still..."

The young waterbender smiled.

"Of course, dad."

"Okay," he replied, returning the gesture. "Sorry I interrupted you."

She brought her eyebrows together. "What?" As realization kicked in, Katara glanced down at Aang. "Oh... umm... that's okay," she finished, feeling her cheeks heat up as they turned a dark pink.

Sokka's voice, once again, broke the awkward silence.

"Okay, I'm pulling down. There's where the ships are pulling out," he said, pointing, though no one was looking. Appa began to dive toward the land.

As the bison made contact with the ground below him, Sokka hopped off.

"I think we should check into an inn or something. We could stay here a few days before taking off again to Gaoling. What do you guys think?"

Hakoda nodded as he took a place next to his son.

"You guys should stay here a little while. It'll give Appa time to recuperate from flying so much and you guys can get some good rest," the chief responded, agreeing whole-heartedly with Sokka's idea.

Katara chipped in a 'Alright with me', and Toph a 'That's cool' before both simultaneously escorting Aang off the large furry creature.

Sokka declared that he was going to get them rooms.

"You guys go along without me," he said, gesturing towards the docks. He then looked at his sister. "Give him to me, I'll put him in a room so he can sleep in a comfy bed." He waved his hands back and forth, beckoning her to hand him over. Her eyes saddened, but she obeyed.

"Don't drop him," she said, feeling silly immediately after.

Sokka chuckled.

"Are you kidding? He weighs practically nothin', sis."

She nodded and he walked away towards a nearby inn. As she watched, she twiddled her fingers, feeling weird without Aang in her arms. A sigh forced it's way from her lips.

"I'm proud of you."

As she glanced over at her father, he was smiling warmly.

"It's been almost two weeks and you finally let go. I'm proud of you, Katara."

"Thanks," she replied, modestly. Maybe that's all it took. Letting go. It would be easier to heal now. Easier to live through the time until he woke up.

Hard... but easier.

--

Sokka walked into the building. It was cozy and large, and had a comforting aura that made Sokka almost instantly drowsy. He shook his head to wake himself up a bit, but the feeling didn't go away, so instead he approached the counter. There was a woman in her late teens staring back at him. She had a warm smile that matched the atmosphere of the place perfectly. She also harbored gold eyes and deep charcoal hair, the trademark look of the fire nation.

"Hello," she greeted Sokka, her lips still curved upward in unnatural elatedness.

Sokka couldn't help but smile back.

"Hi... is there a possibility that you have four... -no, make that three- rooms available?" he asked, a thoughtful, drowsy look on his features.

She nodded.

"That'll be 3 gol-" she suddenly stopped and the smile was ripped from her face as it would have if she'd just been slapped. She pointed hesitantly at what Sokka carried in his arms. "Is that... the... the Avatar?" she questioned, smirking a bit and raising an eyebrow.

Sokka eyed her.

"Yeah, uh... could you just tell me how much I need to pay you? I need to get-"

"What's wrong with him?"

He hesitated.

"Just tired, you know... exhausted and all. Which is why I need-"

"Ahh, yeah. Saving the world and all. You know everyone is very grateful to him. He's gotta be so tired from travelling all the time."

Sokka's face drooped into a look of utter dislike and aggravation.

"Look, could you just-"

"You know, I'm not really supposed to do this, but I mean, he's the Avatar! You guys can stay here for free," she said thoughtfully, her warm smile returning. She seemed unruffled by the glare she was recieving from the teen in front of her.

Sokka's glare quickly turned into a smile to match the woman's.

"Wow, really? Thanks!"

She nodded.

"No, thank you... well... not you, but you know what I mean. Upstairs, second, third and fourth rooms on the right. Enjoy your stay."

Now, chipper than earlier, Sokka made his way up to the rooms. They each had two beds in them, and the water tribe warrior placed Aang in the first one in the first room he entered. That could be Katara's he supposed, even if he didn't really enjoy the idea.

He threw the covers over Aang sloppily and turned on his heel to leave.

"Sokka?" he heard faintly from behind him. His eyes widened and he spun around to look at the airbender once again.

"A-Aang?" he questioned in return, the 12-year-old's eyes fluttering open. Sokka rubbed his own eyes in disbelief.

"Where are we?" Aang questioned.

"Aang! Uh... stay here. I have to go, but I'll be back. Just... stay... stay here. Okay? Don't wander, don't go back to sleep... Okay?"

The airbender nodded and got up a bit, resting himself on his elbows. He threw his head backward and stared up at the ceiling.

"I'll be here," he said, sighing weakly.

Sokka's eyes popped open and he hesitated. Then he flung an arm around the doorway and pulled himself out, now running downstairs. The girl at the counter giggled as Sokka pushed through the door and made his way back outside.

--

"Bato," Hakoda said, greeting his friend with a pat on the back. Katara smiled at him, her eyes filled with sorrow as they had been for almost two weeks straight.

The ship was prepared to leave sometime in the next hour, now that Chief Hakoda had made his arrival. It wasn't large and would only carry a dozen or so men back to the South Pole. Hakoda was still pretty happy to finally be going home.

"I wonder when Sokka'll be back," he stated. Sure enough, that was when his son came into view, running towards them and stopping right in front of the group of family and friends.

"Ka... Katara... come... come with me..." he said, panting. He had his hands on his knees, doubled over and catching his breath. Katara raised her eyebrow.

"What?"

He shook his head and then lifted it to look at her.

"It's better... if it's a surprise... come on."

He stood up straight and took her hand. She shrugged and waved goodbye to Hakoda. Toph then shook her head and followed them.

"Sokka, where are you taking me?!" she demanded, confused and annoyed.

"I have a surprise for you and I'm _not_ telling you what it is."

"Well, will you at least. Slow. Down?!" she asked slowly, almost tripping as her brother pulled her into the inn he'd just checked into. Sokka rushed a wave at the counter girl who continued to smile. Katara narrowed her eyes at the coppered eyed woman, her smile reminding her way too much of Joo Dee.

She didn't get a chance to really ponder it, since she slipped on the first stair and stumbled to get back up.

"Hurry, Katara!"

Toph shook her head as she caught up to the siblings, pushing Katara's lower back up the stairs. If she didn't help, Sokka would probably bruise her pretty badly with all his poorly placed excitement. The earthbender sighed and rolled her sightless eyes.

As they reached the top, Katara yanked her hand from her brothers.

"Sokka. Calm down!"

He hastily put a finger to his mouth and shushed her.

"Quiet," he ordered in a low whisper. She crossed her arms and walked in the room Sokka just escaped into.

When she was finished rolling her eyes for what seemed like the tenth time in the past few minutes, she inhaled sharply as her 'surprise' came into view. Aang was meditating unsuccessfully with all of the loud noise.

She took in everything about him as she approached, becoming stone still at the foot of the bed.

"Aang!" Sokka screeched causing Aang to open his eyes. He didn't even jump since he already knew they were there.

"Sokka, shu-ush," Toph snapped her head toward the older boy.

She sighed loudly.

"Good to know you're awake, Twinkletoes," she said, grabbing Sokka by the scruff of his shirt. "C'mon, let's go... shopping... or something."

Sokka eyed her suspiciously, soon catching on.

"Oh... err... sure," he replied, following the earthbender back out the door and closing it.

Even after they left, Katara was still unable to move. She didn't know what to say or do for that matter.

Aang was... awake.

Finally.

She didn't have to cry anymore, she didn't have to wait, she didn't have to feel empty any longer.

He was there.

She just stared at him and he stared back.

"Hey," he said awkwardly, trying to make some sort of small talk. He looked around the room.

Katara crawled onto the bed and sat in front of him. He watched her carefully, trying to figure out what she was doing. She simply sat down and glanced at him.

"Aang, I-""Katara-" they said simultaneously.

After a second of silence and blushing, they looked at each other and laughed. It took a minute for them to calm down, but once that was through, they hugged. A hug of longing and friendship and love. And Katara knew she wouldn't feel that horrible way she did ever again. She was fixed, as if something inside of herself mended. It wasn't about letting go or forgetting or waiting. It was about having hope. About caring.

And now that she knew that, her heart was filled with happiness. She burried herself in the airbenders arms, waiting for what seemed like ages to be able to hug him and know he was hugging in return. He filled her with such joy, such emotion. She sighed contentedly and laid on his chest, listening to the quick pace of his heartbeat.

She was whole again.

* * *

_A/N:_ It felt slightly rushed... was it rushed?

BTW: Yes! Of course I'm continuing this. It's not done yet and it won't be until the story says 'complete'. ;)

Please review. I live and breathe for reviews ;) Thankies. :D

-Katara


	4. Love, Lust and Loathing

**Book One: The Oracle**

**Chapter Four: Love, Lust and Loathing**

* * *

_A/N: _I'm back with chappie four. Hope you enjoy. Please review! I beg of you. -please.and.thank.you-

**Also, really quick I'd like to say; There is one word of profanity in here, and it is well placed, I'd like to say. I'm usually against using profanity in my writing, but this is definitely needed in my opinion. Excuse me for it. Thank you.**

Well, I suppose I owe all of you answers... Thank you so much to my loyal reviewers; I appreciate you guys so unbelievably much!

arizony: Hopefully this chapter answers your question: of course I'm continuing it! Azula, that evil little thing...

Night -KFT-: Thanks! That means a lot. (Really, it does)

Sokkas Instincts 2: Why thank you! Maybe I will do that with the doors... it does seem to be a problem sometimes. You mean the saloon doors right? Hehe... I could get some humor out of that. ;) I'm glad Hakoda doesn't seem too aggravating. And oh, I've just been itching for someone to ask me about the book title. Haha... It's just my version of 'The Avatar', since an oracle is another word for a mediator, or someone who brings peace between two or more parties... which is what Aang does (plus, it sounds cool). And finally, no - you don't always write long reviews, but I love it when you do!

TTAvatarfan: Very glad you think so! Lols, be patient.

Bob the Chicken Nugget: Wow. Thankies.

avatar209: I was hoping someone would catch on to that! Yes, Toph does care about Aang and Katara's relationship... but only in the slightest (as you will find out in a chapter soon coming to you... she just can't help messing with people...)

Jeni27: I'm glad you're enjoying this. Tehe. Yes, I don't usually like writing stuff without Aang. He's just so great. You know, originally this story was going to be about Aang dying, Katara finding a stranded child who was the Avatar... bladabladablada, and the only reason I didn't do that was because I didn't have the heart to kill Aang. How sad is that. It hurts me to kill off an animated character... By the way; I choose to not comment on that Joo Dee remark... though I'm technically commenting on it by saying I'm not commenting on it. Ugh.

DuHSPaZZiNGFeL: Thank you so much! I'm very glad to hear you're enjoying it.

Thanks again to all my reviewers!

_Disclaimer: _I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

* * *

Aang had been quite literally knocked over by Katara's attempts to hug him. He fell backwards on the bed and she came crashing down on his chest, making herself comfortable by lying next to him with her head in the crook of his neck. They were just enjoying the time together, but Katara, very much missing the sound of Aang's voice, chose to speak up.

"I was... Do you even... Aang, I missed you," she finally decided to settle on, tightening her grip on him.

She felt him chuckle a bit underneath her, but cringe almost immediately after. She shot up and looked down at him.

"Are you okay? Oh... this isn't good... I've healed you too much for you to-"

"Katara. I'm fine."

She sighed heavily and put out her hand. He took it, which was followed by her pulling him up to a sitting position.

"We should probably get going. I'm scared Sokka and Toph spent all our money buying stuff... or worse."

Katara giggled as Aang's eyes widened from her prediction.

"Worse?" he questioned, a worried look still plastered on his face.

"They've been influencing people to give them stuff because they're friends with you," she replied casually, "It bugs me so much. We should be paying for that stuff, not freely taking it. But you know them... they don't care."

"Oh," Aang said, a bit of sadness in his voice. "Katara?"

She picked her eyes up off the increasingly interesting spot on the floor to look into his beautiful gray eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Uhh..." He wasn't really sure what he was going to say, so decided to completely change the subject. "Where are we?"

"Some inn or something. Sokka wants us to stay here for a few days."

Katara, looking like she just realized something, bit her bottom lip. She glanced around the room rapidly, then back at Aang.

"What?" he asked, picking up on her tension. She shook her head.

"Let's just get out of here."

Aang seemed to do a pretty good job at walking for a twelve year old boy who'd just defeated a malicious Fire Lord two weeks prior. He trotted down the stairs with Katara, who was, to his delight, leading him by the hand. She glanced at the creepy counter girl, who's name she still lacked for knowledge. The waterbender didn't really care too much, though, since she was so... strange.

Katara nudged Aang's arm, gesturing to the girl behind the counter. She wasn't paying any attention to them at all, but she was still smiling. The girl had her head down, staring at something on the flat surface of the counter.

Aang shrugged, not having seen the woman before, and continued onward with the blue eyed girl leading him.

"What's up with her?" Aang asked once they made their way outside.

"I'm not sure, but she gives me the creeps."

Katara was still grasping the young airbenders hand and squeezed it softly as she spoke. She interlaced her fingers with his and he stared at her, a little slow on the uptake and not really listening to what she was saying.

"...I wasn't really sure, but do you?"

He blinked rapidly a few times, realizing what he'd just done and thought of the only way to amend it.

"What?"

The waterbender stopped in her tracks and stared at him.

"I said... After everything we've been through, I'm not sure if you'd remember all that happened at the palace." After a second of pondering it, she added, "_Do_ you remember?"

"Uh... what part?" he asked, racking his brains for answers. He didn't know how they got on this topic, but wasn't really worried about it.

She shrugged.

"The end... after the fight."

Aang found himself staring at his feet. His brain was completely unfocused, and quite blurry when it came to the topic of the battle. After the battle was even foggier.

"I remember... falling. Backwards or something... like I tripped."

"Uh-huh," Katara said, egging him on to continue.

"There was a flash of light... and an explosion noise. I couldn't move, but I looked as far over as I could with my eyes. There were people. Crowding me... so many people. I felt nauseous and then someone picked me up. I couldn't understand them, but then I realized it was you... I think."

She smiled a bit, giving his hand an affectionate squeeze.

"Okay, any more?"

"Something I don't remember... but there was something. I know it. And then everything went black. For a while it felt like I was swimming... or dropped in liquid or something. But I didn't feel it. It wasn't cold or wet... just and endless sea of nothingness. Blank." Aang paused, picking his head up from the ground and staring into Katara's eyes. "All of a sudden, there was a feeling like lightning or... or a jolt of some sort. My whole body went numb, and it felt like it was raining. I could feel it all again. The cold. The wet." He shook his head. "I don't know. And I heard you talking to me. It was like we were in a crazy dream. You told me that..." he trailed off, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment from what he was about to say.

"What?" Katara demanded, "What'd I tell you?"

"Um. I don't remember," he fibbed.

As they picked up on there walking, there was a short silence. It was broken by the rush of Katara's melodic voice.

"I love you," she said, a determined edge in the words.

"I love yo- wait... what?!" Aang questioned quickly, stopping them yet again.

She smiled at him and rubbed her thumb softly atop his hand. He disregarded it, his full attention on her words.

"I love you. _That's_ what I told you. That's what I said and I meant it. And I'll say it again and again and again until it gets through to your thick skull enough that you remember it," she said, half sarcastically, half seriously.

He simply gaped at her, having no response at all to a moment he'd been waiting for, but didn't quite expect. He ripped his hand from hers, using both appendages to rub his eyes. After several moments of trying to figure out if it was real or an illusion, Aang non-chalantly placed his hand back into hers and continued walking.

"Oh, don't act so surprised," Katara noted, smiling softly to herself.

"Why? The girl of my dreams -and when I say that, I mean literally, not as a figure of speech- just told me she loved me! _Twice!_" he blurted out quickly.

She giggled yet again at him, swaying her body to push him playfully. He stumbled, and after recomposing his balance, nudged her arm in return.

"Well technically, if you count all the times, it's more like four. And _you've_ only got two... and a half, I suppose. Someone needs to catch up," she said, the last sentence in sing-song.

"You're serious?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Of course not. I mean... who's counting, anyway?"

Aang shook his head.

"No... when you say you love me."

At first, Katara thought he was kidding. Something about the look in his eyes scared her and bewildered her at the same time. They shone with so much intensity and sincerity that she'd ever seen, causing her to swallow hard against her will. She didn't care if telling him she loved him was a commitment. She wanted to be committed to him, and just this simple stare he gave her told her everything. Told her that he truly didn't know if she was speaking the truth.

"Of course, Aang. Why on Earth would you think otherwise?"

He glanced at the ground, an object that seemed to be very intriguing to the both of them today. After looking back up, his smile returned.

"I love you, too."

The airbender leaned forward, his face inches from hers. He placed his hands on her hips and brought himself even closer. She expected him to kiss her and closed her eyes, but instead found a chill go up her spine as he whispered in her ear.

"And I _always_ will."

She blushed furiously as he pulled away, confused as to why she was doing so. She felt her breath get short as she inhaled and exhaled, her body going into some unorthodox shut-down mode.

"Aang," she gasped, almost inaudibly, still short of breath. She cleared her throat to speak again, but couldn't.

"Oh, hey guys!" came Toph's voice out of what seemed like nowhere. She and Sokka materialized beside them.

Aang gave Katara another quick glance before greeting the others.

"Toph!" he exclaimed, putting his arms out to hug her.

She quickly jabbed below his shoulder, causing him to grasp at it in pain.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, there, Twinkletoes. Just 'cuz you can hug Sweetness over here, doesn't mean I'm open for business."

Katara and Aang simultaneously blushed.

"Well, Aang," said Sokka, "I think saving my sister, father and I multiple times from impending doom, defeating the Fire Lord, and staying alive through it all long enough to be hugged, deserves a hug from me."

Sokka stepped towards the young monk, grasping him in a tight hug and patting his back.

"Good work, buddy." He pulled back and fished something out of his bag. "So! This man, all official looking and stuff walks up to us, right? He's like 'You wit' the Avatar?'" he said, a poor imitation of the large man, "And we said 'Yeah...'. Then he hands us this envelope and goes 'Get that to him A. S. A. P.', and walked away dramatically. It. Was. _Awesome_."

Katara and Aang laughed while Toph rolled her eyes.

"What?" Sokka asked.

"Nothing, nothing," came Katara, "Just hand it over, genius."

He did what was asked of him and watched as Aang fumbled with the paper. He finally got a grip of the underside and pulled upward, tearing it until the paper inside was revealed. He removed it gently.

It was an off-white color, imprinted to look like dragons covered the entirity of it. On the inside was a letter which he read aloud.

_"Avatar Aang,_

_The Mayor of Ciris has cordially invited you to __attend a dinner party _

_tonight at eight oclock. If you have plans on leaving before then, _

_you do not need to make your departure known, we will simply know_

_if you are not there. Even the Fire Lord himself may be attending, _

_but not every guest is set in stone. We appologize for such a short _

_notice and hope dearly that you can make it. _

_Thank you for your time,_

_Meinu Sombell"_

Three of the four looked curiously at the formality of the letter, rereading it over and over to themselves.

"Huh. Looks like Zuko's gonna be there," said Katara, a bit of excitement in her voice.

Aang raised his eyebrow at her.

"Where's Ciris?" he asked.

Toph laughed softly.

"Here, you dimwit," she replied, throwing her hands in the air.

"Well, if you haven't noticed, I've kinda been sleeping for the past two weeks."

"Well sooorry, Mr. All-Powerful. I didn't know you needed to hibernate to recharge!"

"I already knew you needed to insult others to feel better about yourself, but I didn't get the memo that saving the world was a crime these days!"

"You also obviously didn't get the memo th-"

"GUYS! Why are you fighting? You're friends. Aang just asked a simple question," Katara said, matter-of-factly.

"Oh, look at this. Sugar Queen's teaming up with her boyfriend! I'm sooo scared."

Katara glared at her, an evil look that most feared, but Toph couldn't. After remembering why, Katara turned her glare into words.

"For your information, _Sightless_, that doesn't insult me anymore! Ya know? That's probably why you can't even get a boyfriend! You can't see what you look like, so you don't care, and people are naturally driven away from you!"

Toph clenched her fists, her lips trembling with anger. She fell to her hands and knees, her whole body shaking.

"Not cool," said Sokka, who was quite enjoying the fight before, not expecting Toph to give up so soon. He knew she was a little sensitive when it came to her not being able to see, but Katara really crossed the line. With all of the nicknames she could've gave her; all of the insults, she chose to pick on her blindness.

"You know, Katara," Toph said, lifting her head, "I know I'm a total _bitch_ sometimes, but that's who I am. You - never, ever follow suit, you hear me? Stay who you are, don't... don't..."

She could feel the tears in her eyes as they became moist, stinging as they slipped down her cheeks.

"Toph..." Katara replied sadly. She pulled the blind girl to her feet and hugged her, surprised when she hugged in return. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean it... I'm so, so sorry..."

She shook her head, her black bangs swaying from side to side.

"No... you're right. About it all. And I'm the one who should be sorry. This doesn't mean I'm changing or anything, but I _am _sorry."

She wisked the remanding tears from her eyes and sighed softly.

"So... are we going to this dinner party or what?"

* * *

_A/N:_ Sorry this chapter is so short. I tried to make it longer, but it didn't fit right. By the way, the last four lines are Toph, if that's not clear. It sounded too repetitive to make it completely obvious that it was, so I didn't.

And yeah, I put the word of profanity... hey! I warned you in bold print! :P

Oh! Oh! I'm heading down to San Diego (I'm in Orange County right now) tommorow morning. There's a lot more to do there, so the chapters might take a bit longer. My aunt still has a comp, but I won't be spending much time typing. I think we'll be up there until the Finale ends, (WHOOT! THE FINALE! -is happy-) so keep a look out for my story. Thanks

I came up with this title after listening to _What Is This Feeling?_ from _Wicked._ Lols. If you know what that is, then you may find the chapter title a bit amusing. xD

Anywho, please, please review (whoa, that rhymed). It'd really make my day.

Thanks so much guys, and a special thanks to everyone who did review. -virtual cookie-

-Katara


	5. The Perfect Time

**Book One: The Oracle**

**Chapter Five: The Perfect Time**

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_A/N:_I hope this chapter makes up for the lack of feeling in the previous one. It's still the shortest one yet, and almost completely pointless, but who doesn't love pointless fluff? xD Let me just say, this chapter brought out a little of the dark side from Aang. Nothing severe and mostly fluffy, though. I mean... why not? ;)

Also, this chapter totally sounds like the end of the story, but it's not. Think about all the loose ends there are. Would I really do that? (Okay, maybe I would...) But it's not over!

Jeni27: Yes, yes. I thought so too. But then again, I always think my chapters are rushed. Nothing new there. -sigh- Ahh, the hug thing. We shall unlock that. No worries.

DuHSPaZZiNGFeL: I'm very glad you feel that way! Yes. Random arguments. Avatar is very epic for that, so I decided to add one of my own.

Night -KFT-: Yay! And please review until the end too, if you will. It's very appreciated.

Sokkas Instincts 2: I love Wicked. Nah... that town's not gonna be a problem. Nothing really all that horrible is gonna happen there. Hate to ruin the suspense for you, but it's true. Oh, but insanely clever idea there, thanks. I didn't even realize I did that. Hah.

TTAvatarfan: Lol. That's a terrific compliment. Thanks _so_ much!

Bob the Chicken Nugget: Yeah... I was going to go with the whole 'Katara noticing they're in a "hotel" room alone together' thing, but I figured it be way to awkward and I don't think Katara's mind would ever fall that far into the gutter.

itsSwitzerlish: I shall freak out with you now. YAAAY FINALE!! WOOT! Gosh... I can't wait!! I. Am. So. Psyched! -sighs happily- -faints-

_Disclaimer: _I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

* * *

Aang sat with his legs crossed on the pale red sheets. They were back in the inn again, resting on the all-too-cozy bed. Aang had just managed to process everything Katara had to tell him about his second 'absense' from the world, and was doing a fairly good job keeping up. She explained to him where they were going to be heading; Gaoling next, and several other various things. She seemed a little bored when she spoke, but couldn't ever be preoccupied when spending time with Aang. It was always a time to treasure when with him.

The four members of the 'gaang' spent most of the day just talking and spending time together. Katara and Aang had finally gotten time alone, but it was, of course, under the watchful eyes of Sokka. He caught on fairly quick to their public displays of affection, mostly the little things. They gave themselves away quickly, having the urge to hold hands everywhere they went. They supposed that's what they got for having weeks upon weeks of surpressed feelings.

"So, let me get this straight," Aang said, looking down at the beautiful girl lying on her stomach. She had her arms propping her up and was gazing at him intently. "You're dad's gone to the South Pole to 'help out', Sokka wants us to stay here a while to give everyone some rest, I've been out for two weeks and Zuko's... Fire Lord?"

She smiled a bit as she nodded, quietly pondering the last few words by tapping her finger to her lips thoughtfully. Her hair swished back and forth softly, licking the back of her neck. She didn't have her usual braid or the Fire Nation theme to her hair today. It was thrown up into a messy ponytail, her hair too long and annoying to let drape over her shoulders anymore, and on top of it, she had no clue where she placed the clips for her hair loopies.

"Well... He's not really... Fire Lord, persay. But, close enough."

Aang cocked his head to the side vaguely, causing Katara to laugh. He looked so adorable doing that.

"There's a bunch of politics involved. Don't ask me," she explained, having not a clue how Fire Lords were chosen.

Aang's next question seemed to have nothing to do with the conversation, but who was she to question his thought process?

"Okay, is that why Toph's so cranky?" he inquired.

Ever since the final battle, Toph had been fairly aggravating. Katara didn't think it had anything to do with Zuko's crowning as Fire Lord, but who knows when it comes to her? The waterbender still felt bad about making fun of the girl. It was in her nature to mock people, and Katara, of all people, should've known that.

"She's always cranky," Katara mused with a shrug.

Aang sighed. There was a short silence followed by three consecutive knocks at the door.

"Come in," Katara said lazily, placing her head in the palms of her hands and peeking at the oak-lined frame.

Sokka opened it about a foot of the way, his eyes alert and his tongue sticking out from the side of his mouth. Katara could almost swear he was drooling. He carried the scent of jerky... or raw meat. Possibly both. This caused Aang's stomach to lurch and gave him a woozy feeling. Katara felt it in the slightest as well, but it caused her more hunger than disgust.

"I'm gonna get some food. You coming with?" the warrior boy questioned, licking his lips.

Katara shook her head disapprovingly, figuring that was what it was all about. He was so hungry all the time, it was amazing someone could eat so much and not weigh over three hundred pounds.

"Sokka... there's a dinner party in _two hours_. Can't you wait?"

He adverted his eyes to the ground, pretending to be ashamed, and looked back up.

"No..."

"Well... don't eat too much. You'll be full when we get there."

Sokka sighed and narrowed his eyes, his hair falling in his face.

"I'm disappointed in you, sis. I expected you to know me better."

After a rushed giggle, she eyed her brother for his sarcasm. She found it quite funny, but was trying her best to be serious. A moment later she rolled her eyes and looked away, giving in.

"Yeah... me and Toph'll be next door, then. See ya later," Sokka said and closed the door hastily, a thunking noise erupting from it. Katara and Aang exchanged looks, settling on a simple shrug from both benders.

The two stared at each other for quite sometime. They'd pretty much forgotten what they were talking about and basked in the feeling of being alone again.

"So..." Aang said, getting the courage to speak and causing the both of them to blush.

Katara sat up and made her way closer to Aang. She'd grown fond of being able to show affection to the young airbender.

"So... we're alone due to Sokka's ravenous appetite. What do you want to talk about?" she asked casually, leaning her head on Aang's shoulder. He gulped and reached out to grab her hand. Katara giggled for his shyness and smiled from the simple gesture.

"What's there to talk about?" he questioned.

Katara watched Aang's hand as it battled her own playfully.

"Oh, I don't know... All the people who're gonna want to speak with you, where we're going, how you're feeling, you're infamous battle with Ozai..." she trailed off, ceasing her duel with Aang's hand. She fell silent and sat upright to stare into his gray eyes.

"What?" he asked, slightly concerned. Katara shook her head vaguely and bit her bottom lip.

"Aang... I have some... rather bad news..." she said, choosing her words carefully.

He outstretched his arm and wiped a lock of hair from her cheek as her face fell in disappointment. The waterbender pulled her own hand to his and held it there, embracing his need to comfort her.

"What is it, Katara?" he asked after a short silence.

Internally, she debated how to tell him without stressing him out too much. She wished she didn't have to be the one, but she also knew there'd be some issues if he didn't know. Finally deciding just to tell him, she spoke.

"When we were... in the palace... -well, after the battle, that is-, Azula managed to... escape." She stared into his sparkling gray eyes, searching for a reaction of any kind. His face was completely expressionless, his smile gone.

He pulled his hand away from her, sliding to the edge of the bed. He placed his hands firmly on the side of it, holding his arms stiff.

"How'd this happen?" he said under his breath, very sure that she heard.

Katara found herself biting her lip again.

"I... I'm still not sure..."

The young monk closed his eyes and took a deep breath. On the exhale he reopened them and stood up. He slipped on his shoes hastily and exited the room, leaving Katara lost and speechless.

She blinked a few times, then bolted up, leaving her own footwear behind and chasing after him. She almost tripped down the stairs and once she touched foot to the bottom, saw him leave the building.

Katara halted in her steps, bringing a single fist to her chest and clasped it onto her mother's necklace. She didn't know what to do, feeling the slightest comfort with it in her clutches.

The waterbender contemplated if he would come back or not. She knew the answer. When Aang was determined enough, he refused to give up. She didn't even realize she was running after him again until she was outside, looking right, then left. A glimpse of him was seen and she dashed forward.

Aang wasn't running or really walking, either. He had a look of detemination on his face, along with sorrow and grief that carried him in his step. A firm hand yanked on his shoulder and turned him around to face the most beautiful girl he'd ever met.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she asked him, obviously choking back tears.

His voice was calm and shallow, "I'm going after her. Stay here."

"Aang!," Katara cried out, "Do you even hear yourself? We don't know where she is. _You_ don't know where she is... Plus... you're still hurt."

He stared at her with a cold glare which frightened her. Even in her fear she didn't pull away.

"I feel fine. Let go, Katara."

The way her name was inflicted opened the doors to her tears. She let them go, but Aang's eyes didn't soften.

"Don't... leave me,... Aang... not again." She put her arms around his waist and cried into his shoulder, her knees feeling weak. Aang loosened a little in her grasp, the want to make her feel better arising. He sighed deeply as her tears rolled down his shirt.

"She could hurt people. She could hurt you!" he whispered angrily.

Katara blinked several more tears down her cheeks and tried with all of her might to stop crying. She was assisted with standing upright again by Aang.

"Aang, I love you... don't you think if you'd left, _you'd_ be hurting me?"

Her words struck him hard. That was something he hadn't really thought about. Another thing was why he was doing this. She'd killed him, sure. She'd almost killed Katara twice, but was it really worth causing the love of his life so much internal pain?

He felt it as he began to succumb to her embrace, the warmth taking over and a sudden stupidity growing in his chest. He felt completely ridiculous for getting so emotional over this. Azula definitely was someone to be dealt with, but he knew it wasn't smart to go looking for her now. She'd show up eventually. She always had.

"I'm sorry, Katara," he said, lapping up the scent of her hair. He held her close and set his cheek affectionately on hers, nuzzling her softly.

She pulled back a bit to look into his eyes and leaned forward slightly for a kiss. Aang caught on quickly, denying her attempts by shaking his head. She looked at him with a puzzled and hurt look that killed him on the inside, but he knew now wouldn't be the best time to share their second first kiss. Not here. Not after apologizing for some stupid spur-of-the-moment rage fest. Not after she cried tears of sadness instead of joy. It just wasn't right. It wasn't _perfect_ enough.

Katara sighed, still a bit melonchaly, and set her head on his shoulder once again. He pat her back rhythmically, wishing he hadn't even thought about leaving her. It was all so completely ridiculous. He was trying to act so strong when really he felt broken inside. He had to be strong. He had to do it for Katara, but running away... running after _her,_ was not an option.

"Promise me, Aang. Promise me you won't go after her. That you won't leave," she demanded, watching his eyes grow warm again.

He smiled at her and grabbed her hand, feeling the dampness of his shirt on his pale skin. Her hands were warm and soft, a sensation he'd never get tired of feeling.

"I promise."

She smiled an understanding smile and leaned back in just so he could hold her. She felt so much bliss from this, confused how she'd gone fourteen long years without it. She giggled softly, pondering her life before Aang, thinking about everything that could be different. Sure, it be nice if Aang wasn't the Avatar; if he was just a normal boy. But if he was, he wouldn't have run away from that temple. He wouldn't have fallen into the ocean and froze himself in the Avatar state. And most importantly, he wouldn't be here holding her.

She was content with her life, and his, at that. Aang would be expected to do many more things in his lifetime. Challenging things. The weirdest thing is, it'd all be for peace. The main goal; a world without war and poverty and hate. But it was tricky. Peace wasn't something that stayed forever. It came and went as people changed, and as the Avatar, Aang would be expected to maintain the impossible.

If one thing was for sure, it'd be that Katara had a crazy journey ahead of her if she wanted this to last.

She felt Aang's arm pull her away and rest on her waist. He led her by the hip back inside, his mind taking a similar path as hers.

They definitely wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

_A/N:_ Tell me what you think.

What to expect in the next chapter(s) in _no particular order_... -_**cough-slight (my series) spoilers below-cough-**_

-"Why won't he kiss me?!"

-His eyes doubled in size and he spit out his food so fast, he didn't even get a chance to bite into it.

-"If you tell anyone about this, I'll make you _bleed_, Twinkletoes."

Okay, now, please R&R. Thanks!

-Katara


	6. Vague Erudition

**Book One: The Oracle**

**Chapter Six: Vague Erudition**

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_A/N: _Thanks for reviewing guys. You don't know how happy it makes me feel. It gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside... -sigh- 'Please tell me you're here to kill me.'

Anyway, please R&R. _Much appreciated._

avatar209: Thanks! (Gosh... I know, right. -swoons over him-)

Jeni27: Kataang fluff is a-m-a-z-i-n-g. And yes, that's why I put those spoilers in there. To make you guys happy. xD

TTAvatarfan: I'm glad you think so. Thanks so much for your review. It's very appreciated.

CyclonePsycho: Sorry, it's kinda habit to leave no serious ends at after chapters due to all the oneshots I write. Hah. Don't worry, I will update A.S.A.P.

Sokkas Instincts 2: _Most _of this story is going to be nonsense; Kataangy fluff. Beware!

Nasecoeur42: Thank you.

_Disclaimer: _I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

* * *

Katara and Aang were waiting outside the door to the _Supper Superb_, the restaurant Toph and Sokka were chowing down in. It'd been almost an hour and a half that they'd been in there, Katara guessed, since they left about that time and wouldn't have wasted a second _not_ eating.

The building was like most the others in the town; simple, to the point, and welcoming. It had a sign to the left of the door displaying the name of the place in bold black characters. The entrance wasn't really a door, but more like a piece of cloth hanging from the top of the door frame, a deep red with the fire nation symbol embedded into it.

There was a strange fragrance emitting from the place, like the scent of burning lilies and incense in the midst of morning rain. It was confusing, but plausible to the senses.

Katara and Aang were taking up temporary residence on a bench outside the restaurant. They'd seen many people come out, few looking wealthy, but the majority being middle class men.

The young waterbender was laying down the length of the wood, leaning on her beloved's shoulder. They were quiet, speaking only when they deemed necessary, wanting every moment to be in favor of the other.

The two spotted their friends immediately, the attire of blue and green not very stylish in the world of the Fire Nation. Toph looked more content than she had in a little over a month, and Sokka just looked... Sokkaish.

Katara bolted off of Aang to sit upright, but it was too late; Sokka already spotted them. He rolled his eyes in annoyance, suddenly missing Suki and making a mental note to pit-stop to Kyoshi on their way back home. He didn't say anything, however, knowing quite well it wouldn't do much good. He'd already had a simplistic talk with his sister, not making much progress on the matter of this 'relationship'. He knew they'd confess eventually, and it'd all be downhill from there. Well, in his position as the big brother, anyway. He was also more than aware that demanding they didn't see each other would be a boneheaded move, causing him to be the bad guy.

"Are you guys satisfied now?" Katara asked the two.

Sokka rolled his neck in a circle as if to crack it and let out a content sigh.

"Ehh... I've been better, but I'll last until dinner," he replied, a serious tint to his voice.

Katara smiled.

"Well I'm glad, since we need to be there in... oh, about five minutes."

"Well then," Toph spoke up, "We'd better hit the road. Come along, love birds."

The duo blushed from their newly acquired nickname, still feeling a bit awkward about being discovered so quickly.

They made their way to the largest building in town; an ornate structure, almost like a miniature palace. Guards greeted them at the door and the four were escorted into a spacious dinning room. Three chairs were lined along each side of the bronze colored table, a larger one at the head. A beautiful chandelier hung from the ceiling above the center, and plates, utensils and napkins were placed at each seat. The burly men who had brought them in, motioned to the closest to the head's chairs. Aang was placed on the left side beside Zuko and one down from a man he'd never met, the other three on the right.

They greeted Zuko and sat for a moment in silence.

"Welcome, Avatar. Welcome, my humble Fire Lord," a voice boomed from behind the head chair. They all glanced up to see a man with a long black beard and flowing red robes. He took the final seat and placed his hands out to the sides, flicking his wrists. People shuffled in and delicately placed glasses of water and another of red substance in front of every place mat. They took the emptied silver trays with them out of the room.

Sokka whispered jokingly to Toph. "I don't think this'll be much of a dinner party..." She placed her hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing.

"I have something very important to discuss with you all," the man announced to the six people before him, a rough twist in his voice. His eyes fell downcast and he eyed each one of them for a brief moment. "But, for now, I'd rather keep you all in a good mood."

Aang and Katara exchanged looks, Aang smiling nervously from the man's words.

"I know most of you've met, but I'd like to make you acquainted with Meinu Sombell." The mayor motioned to the man at the far end of the table, sitting next to Zuko.

Meinu's smile was small and miserable. He bowed his head to each person at the table, accompanied by a small gesture with his hand opened atop his fist. Each returned the bow. Meinu's eyes widened in surprise at this, as if he didn't expect it.

"Meinu is my communications manager between here and the other minor cities of the Fire Nation. With the war over, he now ventures to the Earth Kingdom on rare occasions to settle disputes. With this said, there are three reasons I've called you three here today, but I will leave two for after dinner." The Mayor nodded, as if agreeing with himself. He snapped his fingers and a short, elderly woman entered, approaching him with a smile. He gave her a hand motion to draw her nearer, and she did as commanded. After a short whisper, her smile left and she exited once more. "The first reason I have called you here is... well... you _are_ familiar with the Order of The White Lotus, are you not?"

All members of the table nodded and gave short 'uh-huhs', 'of courses' and 'yeahs'. The corners of the Mayor's mouth turned up in the beginnings of a smile. "Good, good. Well, as you know, we -yes, I am gladly a member- are all for keeping balance and restoring the four nations. Which is why I've called you here. All of you, especially you two," he pointed to Aang and Zuko, "are necessities when it comes to re-balancing this world."

The Avatar and the Fire Lord exchanged glances and faced the Mayor once more.

"But, enough business for now. Let us eat!"

There was no snap of the fingers this time. Servants seemed to enter on their own accord, placing steaming platters of food with round silver lids on top. Each lid was lifted and taken away, the smell of multiple foods clashing in the air and creating a delectable fragrance.

Sokka almost immediately began watering at the mouth, staring murderously at the food before him.

"Dig in!" said the Mayor.

Sokka took it quite literally, instantly stuffing his face with turkey leg, filet mignon and baked beans. Toph followed suit soon after, half-being proper, and the wild side half attacking her plater. Katara, Aang and Zuko all watched them with disgust, but began eating as well in a much... calmer manner.

Aang's plate consisted of eggplant rolls, tofu peanut stir-fry, veggie goulash, and sliced moon peaches. He smiled, reminding himself to thank whoever cooked this for keeping it vegetarian. Katara had roast turkey-duck, potatoe casserole and grilled chicken salad.

After Sokka licked his dish clean, another identical to the first replaced it. His eyes widened and he greedily began the process over again. Toph ate her food ravenously, but fairly slowly, and shifted a little closer to Sokka when she was a quarter of the way done. She tapped his shoulder and he looked up, some sort of pale pink food item dangling from his mouth. Toph whispered to him.

"Wanna see something funny?"

Sokka nodded, sucking the remainder of the pink thing up and staring at her, waiting for anything.

"Before I do this," she continued, "I want you to know it's not true. I don't want you killing a certain someone." She eyed Aang for a second and he did the same, the look on his face inquisitive. He nodded and placed his hands under the table, full attention on the airbender picking up an eggroll.

"So, Aang," Toph said, hiding the smirk in her voice and placing her arms on the table. She interlocked her fingers and gazed at him with sightless eyes. He looked at her in return, blinking back the question, 'what?', which Toph noticed and continued. "Did Katara," the girl mentioned looked up at the sound of her name, "finally strike up enough courage to tell you she's having a baby?"

His eyes doubled in size and he spit out his food so fast, he didn't even get a chance to bite into it. It flew across the table and in an attempt to catch it, he knocked over his glass of water, which splashed and drenched Zuko. Katara waterbended the liquid off of the Fire Lord, rushing an apology and eyeing Toph with a cold stare. The whole time Toph and Sokka were having a laughing fit and Toph fell backwards in her chair, clenching her stomach tightly. Aang sat dumbfounded, looking between Katara and Toph, wondering what on Earth was going on and why he didn't know about it. After a quick glance at the Mayor, his cheeks flushed and he coughed once again, this time on his own oxygen.

"Shoulda... seen... look on... hahah... face..." Sokka spat, spraying the table with food juice. Toph sighed a blissful and satisfied sigh, standing her chair back up and scooting toward the table. She picked up on her eating in an effort to pretend it never happened.

Katara, now with a look of utter disbelief, growled under her breath. "Toph! That was rude... and _highly_ inacurrate." Her blood was boiling, and she realized again why she fought with Toph so often. She was cruel and selfish and obnoxious in more ways than one!

Aang heard Katara say 'highly inacurrate' and sighed heavily, his mind beginning to grind gears. He began to wonder why he freaked out about that, and why for even one moment he thought it was true, when he knew for a _fact_ it wasn't. That was crossing a line, even for Toph, but then again, he knew his Katara was too ill experienced and ill prepared for a child. He sighed again. Just knowing that made him feel better.

"Sorry," Toph said after a moment of silence. She sounded completely fake saying the word.

For the rest of dinner, the incident wasn't spoken of, but as the servants entered and whisked away the empty platers, Katara found she couldn't even look at Toph.

"Now that the meal is finished and your stomachs are hopefully satisfied, I'd like to press on more important matters," the Mayor said, clasping his hands together and holding them at his chest. "Avatar Aang... Fire Lord Zuko... I highly reccomend you get both body guards and communications managers. This will increase your effectiveness whole-heartedly and may place the world in better hands. I believe with-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Toph cut him off, crossing her arms and resting back on her chair, her feet on the table. The Mayor's lip quivered in disgust. "Are you saying the world isn't in good hands with Aang and Zuko? Are you suggesting there's someone better for the job than these two?"

The man frowned, extending his arm and reaching for his champagne glass, sipping it thoughtfully.

"I wouldn't say _that_. They're just a little... unorganized is all. An assassin could murder the Avatar in his sleep and then what? He'd be dead."

"Okay there buddy," Toph responded, "I can sense vibrations through my feet." She motioned to her toes. "If someone were to assassinate Aang, they'd have to go through me first. Besides, Twinkletoes here can do it as well. What would he need a body guard for? And communications what-now? He's got Appa for that."

He sighed this time, drumming his fingers on the back of his hand.

"I have word you're leaving them for Gaoling?"

"How'd you know that?"

"I know a guy who knows a guy... and the Avatar's senses may not be as accurate as yours. Besides, the bison is for transportation, no? Not to interact with others around the world."

Toph narrowed her eyes. The other five in the room just watched as the conversation went back and forth.

"Aang, maybe he's right," Katara spoke up with worry in her voice, "A body guard would keep you safe. And if you had someone to relay messages around the world, you'd have more alone time. You wouldn't have to travel so much." There was a dreamy smile on her features when she was finished, as if a wave of memory crashed down and she was content reliving it.

The airbender shook his head. "No. I don't need people to boss around. I don't need to be protected. And I surely don't need another person to speak my own words."

"I have a body guard," Zuko added swiftly. "And communications, too, thank you."

Toph shrugged. "You don't go much anywhere, anyway, Sparky."

For the first time today, Meinu spoke.

"Personally, sir. I agree with the Avatar. I don't believe he needs a guard or communications. He's better off without, and travelling will be lighter."

With a final consideration relapse, the Mayor nodded and moved on to the next subject.

"Alright. Now for the most important thing. This is not to worry you. This is not to scare you or frighten in anyway, but you must know." -A pause for dramatic effect- "The ex-princess of fire, Azula, is still alive."

Everyone looked over each other, reading faces. They were all mostly unruffled or even slightly content. Meinu's features were squared off; a complete poker face, and the Mayor's eyes were large as if his own words struck him at heart.

"We all kinda already knew that," Sokka admitted, raising his shoulders and dropping them. He blinked and stiffled a yawn.

The Mayor frowned. "Oh. Well, then I suppose that's all. You are free to go."

Sokka raised his eyebrows at the strange dismissal, but the rest just pushed back in their chairs and exited, tired and bloated.

* * *

_A/N:_ Sorry. Didn't mean to take foreverly long on this. I've been busy. ;(

Please R&R. Thanks so much.


	7. Around the Bend

**Book One: The Oracle**

**Chapter Seven: Around the Bend**

* * *

_A/N:_ This chapter is a tad... complicated. And also a bit... boring (in my opinion). But all the same, here ya go.

DuHSPaZZiNGFeL: Oh yeah. I bawled my eyes out so bad. I cried for days when it ended...

Sokkas Instincts 2: Good. I try my best with the fluff. It's my passion. Squee!

Bob the Chicken Nugget: Thanks!

general shadow wolfsbane: Yes, the mayor is indeed a bit slow on the uptake. And thank you!

avatar209: Oh, you know it. Whew.

Nasecoeur42: Why, thank you. More shall come.

The Mad shoe1: Thanks, yeah, I try to keep in character.

Aangsgirl: Lol.

RandomWarning: Sorry. You know how it is... I try. xD You better read this, woman. I expect of you! Haha!

_Disclaimer: _I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

* * *

They were in the inn. Again. Boy, was Aang getting sick of the place. He figured there was ups to it and downs to it. Of course, why wouldn't there be?

The bad thing was he had to breathe this warm, toxin filled air. It didn't feel or smell or even _look _like real air. It was as if they'd sucked all the substance out of it, leaving the oxygen behind. He'd choked and gagged on it several times when entering the place, and knew, as an airbender, he'd probably never get used to it.

The other bad... -well not bad; more along the lines of creepy- thing was how Sokka spent more time in the hallway than his own room. Aang wasn't exactly sure what he was doing out there, but had a general idea just how often he was. It was like Sokka was trying to protect his sister from attackers. Or assassins. Or both. He wasn't really sure.

Now, the good things about this place all seemed to involve Katara. First, he got to spend more time with her. Alone time, to boot. Secondly, he could openly tell her how much he loved her. And thirdly, he could simply enjoy her company.

The Avatar sat on his bed, watching her. She slid the band that held her ponytail in tact so delicately from her hair, it could've been mistaken for the work of an angel. Katara herself was the work of an angel, he was sure of it. Her beautiful sepia locks fell over her shoulders in a teasing manner that could force any man out of his skin. Her lips, so pink and visibly kissable, could cause even the prettiest freshly bloomed cherry blossom to find jealousy in the pang of it's being. She had flawless, sun-goldened skin without a single blemish or imperfection. Even her eyes, the windows to her immaculate soul, were a perfect cerulean blue, with a touch of sparkle causing her to be all the more impeccable.

The angel's masterpiece removed the top half of her outfit, leaving white bands behind as the main article of clothing on her chest. She flipped her hair over her left shoulder, bending over in the slightest and removing her silky red skirt. The Avatar couldn't seem to advert his eyes even as she stared back at him, bathing suit and all.

Her cheeks flushed a pale pink on her tan features as her eyes met his.

"What?" she questioned softly, running her fingers through her hair and reaching for the bag on her bed. She removed a comb, obviously from the water tribe, her eyes still locked on his.

He shrugged. "You're just..." he trailed off. He wasn't really sure what he was going to say. Perfect? Well of course she was perfect, but that wasn't it. Beautiful? Again, yes, but no.

"Surreal," he finished.

Katara stopped mid-brush and stared at him incredulously, a bit puzzled by his analysis.

"Surreal?" she questioned in response. He nodded. "Why?"

He pondered the idea of it, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

"When you... and Sokka... first found me, it was like I was dreaming. But I wasn't. I could imagine you feeling... the same about me as I do you, but I never figured you actually _would._ Then I wake up, again, and you say you love me. It's amazing... but it doesn't seem _real._"

She set her hair brush down on her bed and made her way over to him. He watched her, like he often did, and was surprised to find her hugging him.

"Aang," she said breathlessly, "This isn't a dream. I _do _love you." She pulled back a bit and faced him to kiss him. Her lips glided gently over his, barely touching them. Aang, both thrilled and put down by the situation, dropped his head to release himself from her almost-but-not-quite seductive ways. "Aang..." she almost whined in rejection. She was close enough for him to feel her breath on his lips and it took all the will in his being not to close the gap and show her his true feelings. But something, something deep down inside of him, said it still wasn't the right time.

He glanced around the room for an alibi, finding none and looking back at the stunningly gorgeous woman before him, eyes full of pain and a small frown on her face. He sighed and fell backwards on the bed, rubbing his eyes frantically. Katara stood up and without another word, packed her things, set them on the floor and climbed into her bed.

"Night..." she mumbled sadly, finding a semi-comfortable spot on her matress and snuggled herself deeply into the pillow. She sighed, almost feeling sallow, and shut her eyes. She wasn't really mad at Aang, but couldn't help question his decision. Less than a month ago the boy forced a kiss onto her. Now he seemed to be... avoiding it.

There was a thick silence in the air. That is, until Sokka's signature three knocks echoed into the room. He opened the door slowly and stealthily, not doing a good job being quiet. It was more than obvious he wasn't there to tuck them in, but he also didn't want to wake anyone up. His eyes drifted to Katara as she opened her eyes with a flutter and then to Aang who was trying to find comfort in his bed.

Sokka, content the two were awake, spoke what he was there to announce. "Aang," he said wearily, "I think you should come stay in my room." He peaked glances at his sister, expecting protest, which she gladly supplied.

Katara answered before Aang could.

"He's fine here, Sokka."

Sokka smirked, but was ready for it, the perfect come back in his grasp. "I'm sure he is, but I think-"

"Go to bed, Sokka."

The elder of the water tribe siblings was depressed he didn't finish his comment, but something in Katara's voice told him to leave. He bowed his head in defeat and left the room as quickly as he appeared. After he was gone, the two occupants still present, lost the battle to sleep and managed to let it take over.

_He smiled warmly, his eyes an icy coal color, emotions sprawled out everywhere in a messy tangle of things left unsaid. She didn't understand the look in his eyes. She'd never seen it from him before. It was like hate... but also, not hate. It was contentment, but also, remorse._

_He chuckled, the sound low as it vibrated off of the pale tint of his skin. He flashed his eyes sideways as if leading her vision to something to the left of him, but nothing was there. Only darkness._

_"Why are we here?" she asked, her voice shaking in a strange mixture of fright and safety._

_His bright smile veered into a hard line, his brow furrowing. He didn't respond with words. Instead, he grabbed her arm. The action was quick and violent, but she felt no pain. She didn't even wince. He touched her like one would touch a feather, trying their best to leave it unruffled. It was soft and kind._

_He overturned her arm in his hand as if inspecting it. His eyes practically screamed in anticipation, but she was left confused._

_Suddenly, his hand shot away from her arm and left it lying limp beside her, his next action was just as quick and fluid. He placed a hand to her upper chest, right below her collarbone._

_She tilted her head down to look at his hand, unmoving and dissatisfied. His brow knit together, concentrating. Always concentrating._

_"What are you doing?" Katara asked, attempting to bore into his serious, gray eyes, "Maybe I can help."_

_He glanced up at her, a furious look on his face. He shook his head vaguely and gazed back at where his fingertips touched. He pulled his hand away from her completely, leaving a burning sensation where it was._

_The airbender dug in his pockets for something, apparently finding it and pulling it out. There was nothing in his hands, but his thumb and forefinger were pressed together, dangling some invisible item in front of her face. She frowned, and opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, he placed the imaginary item around her neck._

_She could feel it, the cloth resting in the back below her hairline and a cool, round object replacing the burning feeling where Aang's hand was placed. She raised her hand to touch the round object, molding her fingers around it and acquainting herself with the foreign object._

_Aang smirked, peering up from his lashes in a captivating stare. She stared back, trying her best to mimic him, but then found the necklace tightening and gripping to her throat. It felt as if it was shrinking, constricting on her neck each time she inhaled like a cobra, the pressure unbearable. Her arms flung up to it, trying to find a way to remove it, but there was no possible way. She resulted in trying to rip the fabric, unsuccessfully._

_She mouthed the word 'help', her eyes open as wide as she could get them, reaching out for Aang. He took a step back, a warm smile plastered once again on his face, his hands placed in his pockets. She trembled, fell to her knees and crawled to him, breath literally caught in her throat._

_"Katara," he said darkly, staring at her. He didn't move._

_"Katara?...," his voice worried, "Katara!"_

Her eyes shot open. Aang was shaking her shoulder with an unusual force. The type of force that was gentle, yet violent. It reminded her of dream and caused her to shiver. He noticed this, but tried to disregard it, relieved she was okay.

"Oh, thank goodness," he said, wiping non-existent sweat from his forehead, "I've been trying to wake you for five minutes now. I almost went to get Sokka, but..." he trailed off.

She sat halfway up, leaning on her forearms and looking around the room. "Oh," was all she said. She tried to keep her eyes away, but felt as if magnetism was forcing them to his.

"Are you alright? You were coughing and, and screaming and crying..." he said frantically, tenderly wiping a tear from her cheek. She nodded.

The airbender inhaled deeply, continuing his short rant, "Sorry. I didn't mean to freak out on you," he finished solemnly, noticing how addicted he truly was to her.

She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times. "It's 'kay. I think it's really sweet." He blushed. "What time is it?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"Almost ten."

She raised an eyebrow and sat up completely on the bed. She leaned forward to kiss him, but events of the night before kicked in and she hugged him instead. She tried to put all her ferocity and passion into the hug, but it just didn't have the right effect.

"Thanks for waking me."

Aang folded himself into the hug, imprinting his arms into her back and committing her scent to memory. He loved the way she smelled. Something he would never forget, but also something she would never lose even over the longest amount of time.

"Of course," he mumbled in response, sighing in disappointment under his breath as she released him from her embrace. Time shuffled him again and he instantly remembered how to speak. "So... what's the agenda for today?" was all he could think of.

She looked down at the red of the bed sheets, narrowing her eyes in concentration. Just as quick as that action began, she lifted her head, brightened her eyes such as light bulbs, and brought her forefinger near her face. Her entire being was as lightbulb-y as her blue orbs.

"That's right!," she announced, "You got a lot of... 'mail'... I'm still not sure how people find us with all this traveling, but they seem to manage. Anyway, there's been some meetings you're supposed to attend and-"

"Wait." Aang put a hand up to silence her. "You went through my mail?"

She shrugged and nodded in vain innocence.

"Well, you were kinda sleeping. Besides, it was mostly fanmail. From... fangirls... and uh... they wanted responses and such..."

"You responded to my mail?"

She couldn't help but giggle in the slightest at this, her eyes twinkling with amusement. Again she shrugged.

"No. Sokka did. He wouldn't let me respond - or read them, for that matter - to any of the letters. I'm not sure why."

"You let Sokka respond to my mail?!" He threw his arms out to the sides of him to emphasize his point. This made Katara giggle even more.

"Well, no. I didn't _let_ him. He sorta forced me to back off."

Aang groaned and let his face fall into his hands in frustration. Who knows what damage Sokka could've done sending letters in his name to people he didn't know. Was Sokka even _good _at stuff like that? Could he portray Aang accurately enough to do such a thing?

"Katara, you're a waterbending master and you couldn't get you're brother to..." he trailed off abruptly, "Oh, wait. Nevermind. Forget I said anything."

"Why?"

Aang attempted to choose his words carefully. "Taking in consideration your... personality, and our er... recent _confessions_, I think I'd rather have Sokka respond to fangirls. Especially if they're _my _fangirls... Wait, do I seriously have fangirls?"

"What does my personality have to do with anything? And why would you rather Sokka over me?"

"N-nothing, I'm just saying... And I wouldn't rather Sokka over you, just, this seems... er..."

She narrowed her eyes at him, the sincerity in his gray ones quite prominent. She tried to absorb what he was getting at.

"Does this have something to do with why you won't kiss me? Is there someone else or something? A _fangirl_ maybe?" she spat, standing up and involuntarily resting her hand on her right hip.

"What? No!"

"Are you lying, Aang? I can go get Toph and-"

"Katara! What makes you think I'd lie to you?"

She growled under her breath.

"I... I... ugh!"

As she stomped out of the room, fists clenched, Aang found himself muttering something.

"What is wrong with me?" The memory of the last time he'd said that flooded in and he scowled at it, picking up a nearby pillow and pretending to pound his head in. It was going to be a long day.

--

Katara was furious at herself for getting so angry. She didn't even know where the sudden rush of jealously came from, but she desperately wanted it to go away. She shouldn't be yelling at Aang. All he'd done was be nice and sweet and caring and...

Ugh. She was an idiot.

For one reason or another she went to Toph's room. She didn't expect the young earthbender to be awake, but talking to a stone-asleep Toph was better than confronting her brother. To Katara's complete and utter shock, Toph was awake. Her milky green eyes stared at the ceiling and she had her hands behind her head as she rested on the fire nation bed.

She heard footsteps at the door and recognized them by the distinct sound her senses had remembered.

"Heya, Sugar Queen. Why ya in here? And why so... early?" she inquired, keeping her eyes upward.

Katara strode over the the earthbender and plopped down beside her. Toph slid off to the side of the bed and placed her feet on the ground to 'see' Katara.

The blue-eyed girl sighed heavily.

"You didn't get any of that?"

Toph raised an eyebrow. The comment was strange, and unmistakeably lacking the greeting Toph expected.

"Um... get what?"

"My conversation with Aang in our room," she replied hastily.

Toph snickered.

"What?" Katara asked, her lip quivering in a vague pout.

"Well, I usually try to block out your room completely. Y'know. Just in case something happens."

Katara crossed her arms. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing... So, what's on your mind then?"

Katara pondered it for a moment. "It's just..." she paused. "Why won't he kiss me?!"

It was Toph's turn for confusion this time. She raised an eyebrow once again, not good a being the shrink Sokka was always meant to be.

"He won't kiss you?"

Katara continued talking like she hadn't heard a word the other girl said. "I mean, I've tried to initiate it twice now and he finds a way to ignore it every time! I don't understand."

Toph laughed loudly, the noise echoing off the walls.

"_You _initiated it? Are you really that desperate to swap spit with Twinkletoes?"

Katara frowned at the phrase. Technically, she knew, that would be what she was doing, but Toph managed to make it sound so... disgusting.

"Frankly? Yes."

Toph scoffed at her friend. She began to suddenly dig in her nostril with her pinkie, not caring if the waterbender saw.

"Hey, don't come crying to me. Maybe he thinks you have cooties or something. I wouldn't know. I've never kissed anyone, and in my opinion, I don't think anyone could deal with that amount of the Toph." She raised the fist that wasn't busy in the air, making it look like a sign of triumph. Katara rolled her eyes. This really wasn't helping.

"Well, even if you're not going to assist on the issue, I can't go back in there..."

Toph pulled herself off the bed and sat lotus style on the floor.

"Fine by me. Just don't interrupt my meditating."

"Since when do you meditate?" Katara asked, staring Toph down in awe and suspicion.

She shrugged and cracked her neck to each side, the loud popping noise accompanied by her black hair flipping back and forth.

"I don't. I'm just trying to remind you of him so you'll leave." And with that, she began chanting 'Ommm' and kept the position, trying to mimic Aang as well as possible. Katara rolled her eyes again. It was definitely going to be a long day.

* * *

_A/N: _I struggled with this chapter, but had some fun with it too. Bwahahah. I love Toph. :)

Review. Please and thank you!

-Katara


	8. Confidential

**Book One: The Oracle**

**Chapter Eight: Confidential**

* * *

_A/N: _I'm so sorry this chapter took so long to update! I've been pretty busy lately. I had the whole platform of it out in like an hour, but I had to add the details and when it was time for that, my schedule went haywire. Anyway, I know you don't care about my personal life, or my excuses for that matter, so here are the responses!

Vanille Strawberry: Haha, yeah. And thank you. :D

DuHSPaZZiNGFeL: Aang's not being strange! He's just being Aang. You'll see what I mean (I hope). Thank you, lol.

Jeni27: Rofl! Yes, it was truly complicated. I was surprised I got through it and it came out as well as it did. Whew. Oh, and the creepy stuff will make sense eventually. Bwahahah!

Aangsgirl: Thanks!

Ranger of the Valley: Will do. Thank you.

Bob the Chicken Nugget: That's good news. Thanks!

avatar209: That's great, I try to stay original, but it's nearly impossible in the fanfiction world. Thanks! And your questions will be answered in due time. Don't worry.

TTAvatarfan: Yeah, who can't adore Toph, right? Thank you.

lightspeedc: Yeah, I suppose she is a little jealous, but it's from paranoia. Poor Katara. -sigh-

Sokkas Instincts 2: Wow. A compliment like that feels really good. Thank you so much for that! Azula, Azula... I can't answer that for you, sorry. :(

general shadow wolfsbane: Another feel-good compliment. I love it! Thank you, thank you! I wish I could work with them. I would in a heartbeat.

itsSwitzerlish: The meditating scene was a spur of the moment thing. I just thought it'd be funny. Apparently it worked. Thanks!

_Disclaimer: _I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

* * *

_"Dear Suki,_

_"I'm not sure if-_

"No, that's not right..." Sokka spoke the words he attempted writing in a letter to the Kyoshi warrior he loved so dearly. There'd been several attempts at it, and he was sick and tired of never finding the right things to say.

_"Dear Suki,_" he tried again, crumbling the other parchment and retrieving a new one from the left of him. A large stack of blank paper sat there, and to his right was a trash can withholding several balls of crinkled white sheets. He tossed the latest mistake, but it hit the rim of the trash can and bounded off the desk, landing on the blood-painted floor.

_"In a little less than a month, I'll be home, at the South Pole. I am planning on living with you, or you can live with me if you want, or, I'm sure you know, something. If that's okay with you at least. We can be togeth-"_

The door to his room suddenly flew open and startled him, causing him to make a long line that jutted off the page. His hand shook with anger at his letter being flawed, but reread it and shuddered. It was horrible anyway. He turned his head to lay eyes on a severely distressed Avatar, his gray eyes flickering through emotions like wild fire.

"What's with you? You look... sick," he diagnosed. When there was no response, he decided to say something witty, coming to no avail. After another moment of silence, he snapped his fingers as something popped into his head. "Did Katara give you rabies?" he asked as he laughed uncontrollably at himself. The young airbender's eyes remained downcast. Not even a glower for poor performance was permitted from the boy.

"She hates me, Sokka," was his low-toned response. He strode over to the bed nearest to Sokka's desk and plopped down on his stomach. The water tribe warrior turned around completely and stradled the chair backwards, leaning his chin intently on his forearms.

Aang peered at Sokka for a moment, waiting for something, anything. All the images of Katara storming out of the room flooded his head once more and his eyes became watery.

"Okay, okay. Don't cry, Aang. What happened?" Sokka questioned as sympathetically as he could manage.

Aang placed his palms on his eyes and shook his head. He dropped his face into the mess of sheets and muffled his words into a soft hum. "I woke her up because she was having a nightmare. She was-"

The door flung open again, causing both boys to tense at the noise. This time the ruckus (a thundering slam to the wall) was accompanied by an angry earthbender. She had her fists clenched in balls, but once she approached the two, her body language became much kinder.

"Oh," she said in a too-sweet voice, it bounding off the walls in an orchestra of the perfect note, "Just the Avatar I was looking for."

Aang and Sokka exchanged glances, but looked back at her. She made a gesture to whom she bounded in for, her index finger rotating in a mechanically natural motion; a demand for him to follow her.

"I need to speak to you," she said to make the message all the clearer. With a quick glance at Sokka for both the boys benefit, she added: "Alone."

Aang nodded obediently, and followed her out, giving one last frightful and desperately fleeting glance at Sokka.

After they made their way out, Toph led him into the hallway and to the end of the long lit up room in silence. Aang wasn't paying attention when she stopped abruptly, causing him to run into her backside and almost fall over. She stayed stock still until she spun around on her heel to face him.

"You wanna tell me why a certain hormonal waterbender is balling her eyes out in _my _room?" she asked, her voice leveled, but slightly spiteful.

Aang winced at both the words and the inflection. He didn't know what he did exactly to make Katara so upset. And - he surely didn't know what he did to make Toph so angry.

"She's crying? Really? Oh spirits..." Aang leaned backward in a daze and propped himself up on the rosey red wall. He felt a little dizzy.

"Yeah," she confirmed, "And it's all your fault. So you better get your little multi-bending butt up there and kick her out of my room!" she commanded, crossing her arms. It was a bit more than difficult to persuade Toph out of something she was dead-set on.

The airbender sighed and his brow wrinkled.

"Me?" he asked, cautiously, "I don't think she want to talk to me, Toph. By your description, she sounds pretty upset. I don't want to cause her anymore pain..."

Toph growled a bit under her breath. "Look, I don't really care, okay? Do something about it!"

"Toph... you don't..." he trailed off, unsure how to respond, "Are you mad at her or something?"

"I'm not mad at anyone!" she fumed, sounding very unconvincing, "She's just getting on my nerves. She's been so horrible lately and I can't take her nagging anymore!"

Aang mimicked her position and crossed his arms, feeling a little strange as anger built up inside of him.

"Nagging? You know, now that I think about it, I think it's your fault she's mad at me. You've been so cruel and inconsiderate to her, I can't even imagine what happened while I was out..."

"My fighting with Katara has nothing to do with your _relationship_," she scoffed and narrowed her eyes threateningly at him.

"Oh, so you _have _been fighting!" Aang concluded before her sentence really sunk in, "Why are you always so mean to her, hmm? What has she ever done to you?!"

Toph laughed. Whatever made this situation funny was unknown to Aang, but his face remained solid.

"What has she done to me? Ever since I joined you guys-"

"That was a long time ago!"

"-She's been cranky and rude and treating me like my mother!" she finished as if she was never cut off.

Aang narrowed his eyes, raising his voice even more.

"You're mad at her for being motherly?! She can't change that!" he shot back. The atmosphere was thick with hostility and Aang choked on the crisp air. How ironic that was.

Toph ignored it.

"I didn't say I want her to change it..."

Aang cleared his throat and sighed. "What?" Now his confusion was dominant in his voice. "Is this about your parents?"

"No!"

"Then what on Earth could possibly make you so-"

"I'm jealous of her, okay?!"

Aang's brow furrowed and he cleared his throat once more, feeling a little guilty for some reason. He frowned, also a bit confused by her words and new confession.

"Jealous? Why?" He tried to keep his voice calm, which wasn't hard in the puzzled state he was submerged in.

Toph sighed deeply and leaned forward. She blew a bit of air upward and her bangs flung away from her and landed softly back on her face.

"Well... I guess because she has you, and you're so kind and compassionate and give her all your love. You treat her like there's no one else in the world you'd ever want to be with. It just makes me... _jealous_."

Aang pondered her words, only becoming more confused. There was a strange twist to her voice, like what she was saying was true, but she regretted it wholeheartedly.

"Umm..." He didn't know what to say again. Was Toph confessing that she liked him? He decided to say the closest thing he could to the truth without being bruised badly in the morning. "I don't really... understand. Do you wish you were in her place?..."

Toph's eyes shot open in realization of his words and placed her hands in front of her to shuffle them back and forth, her head moving with them.

"No, no, no, no, no. I don't like you like that at all... No offense, but you're like a little brother to me."

"_Little _brother?" he questioned, "You do know I'm almost four months older than you, right?" The urge to laugh arose, but refusal and common sense defeated it. He brought his hand to his head and non-chalantly ran his fingers quickly through his black locks, the awkward silence deafening him. He stared at her and almost said something, but she spoke up right before him.

"Aang, can I trust you?"

Her sudden change of topic shocked him and he threw his head backwards on the smooth wall, a newborn headache attacking his senses at the accidental force. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, his head reeling.

"Of course," he replied after a moment.

"Are you absolutely sure? I mean, what we're dealing with is something I've _never _told _anyone_ before."

His response was immediate this time.

"Yes, I swear on my love for Katara, I will not tell a soul."

She rolled her eyes at him. That was really cheesy, but it'd work.

"Okay," she agreed, coming to terms with the situation. She didn't want to tell anyone, but figured maybe it'd make it easier if she did.

"I kinda, uh..." she started again, still a bit leery on explaining, "I... like someone. But, I know for sure he doesn't like me back because he's madly in love with someone else. And no, I'm not talking about you, lover boy, so don't get any funny ideas." She pointed at him with an accusing finger. After a few more moments of lapsed silence, she decided to go through with it. It was pretty obvious anyway. If it wasn't Aang, there really wasn't anyone left. "It's um... well, uh... Sokka."

Again, the urge to laugh erupted inside him, yet he contained it with a bit of practiced self-control.

"Alright. What does this have to do with being angry at Katara?" A pause. "Err... jealous?" he amended.

Her sightless eyes found the carpet and scanned uselessly over the intricate designs, giving her the appearance of distant thought. She placed her hands on her hips and let out a breath containing all the relief of secrets released into the thoughts of another.

"Well, to be honest -and I know this sounds stupid, so don't laugh- ... I wish I could have what Katara has with you, with Sokka."

Aang smiled a bit at her. Toph wasn't really that complicated. She wanted what every other person wanted.

"It doesn't sound stupid at all, Toph. It's completely normal, but I don't think you should sit around and waste your time on Sokka. He's a little... well, you know."

Toph nodded. She _did _know, but that was what made Sokka so unique. His idiocy. She suddenly didn't feel any rage or disappointment at Aang and Katara's relationship anymore. It was definitely good to get things out. She also knew her secret would be safe with Aang. He wasn't what anyone would call a 'gossiper'.

"I'm aware, but I still, well..."

"Like him?" he offered, watching her smile a little. She nodded.

"I like him, but, I don't know if I want to. I want to be his _best_ friend, not his _girl_friend. I don't think our relationship would work," she paused, her smile turning into a smirk, "But then again, look at you and Katara."

"Yeah," he agreed, "She _is_ my girlfriend, but she's still my _best_ friend. It's doable."

"This is our secret, right, Aang?" she asked in a voice that was barely audible. The earthbender managed to stare directly at him through her black bangs.

"Absolutely. Like I said, I won't tell a soul." He smiled as she smiled. "Or spirit," he joked.

"Aang..." she breathed lowly, "I'm sorry I yelled at you before. I didn't mean it. Katara's fine if she stays in my room and I know you two will sort it out eventually. You were always meant to be together - You two are flawless as a pair." She took a slow intake of breath and continued to bore into his eyes with her own. "Thank you."

The young Avatar felt something similar to warm, melting ice in his chest. It was a weird sensation, but it also felt good at the same time. He beamed at her. "You're welcome. And thank you."

She walked slowly back down the hallway. He figured she was finished, but she turned to him right before she passed.

"Oh, and..." She looked at the ground between their feet. "I think I owe you this," she said and leaned herself forward to throw her arms around him. He expected to feel awkward in a tight and warm hug with Toph, but he felt just the opposite. It was soothing and warm and _bonding_. Like she was making some sort of promise to him, but there was nothing at the moment to promise. Maybe it was more of an I-Owe-You, such as she suggested.

"Y'know," she said as she pulled away, her hands placed on his shoulders, "You're a really good friend."

He half-smiled, "Thanks, I try." He suddenly wanted to ask the earthbender what Katara was mad at him for; if she knew. They were on very good terms at the minute, so it most likely wouldn't be too hard to ask.

He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

She giggled, shaking her head at him and pulled away. "Oh! One more thing, and I promise I'll leave you alone."

It'd be better if he didn't ask what was wrong. It might erase her gleeful mood.

Aang nodded. "Shoot."

"I know you promised and all, but..." She suddenly narrowed her eyes at him. "If you tell anyone about this, I'll make you _bleed_, Twinkletoes."

And with the final words echoing over again once more in Aang's head, Toph strode away, back down the hall and into her room.

It was interesting to see a soft side of the green-eyed girl, but it was definitely nice to have the old Toph back.

* * *

_A/N: _I like this one. Weeee. Anyway, all your questions about Azula, and Aang not kissing Katara, and the counter girl - I won't answer them! Sorry.

I have a question, though: Does anyone think I need a beta? Because I don't have one, and I never have... but if you think I need one, please message me. Thanks.

I love you guys, you're great! Please review.

-Katara


	9. The Date

**Book One: The Oracle**

**Chapter Nine: The Date**

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_A/N: _Okay. This is the last consecutive "gaang" chapter. In the next chapter we will move onto something more... intriguing. Although, don't get me wrong, everyone loves their fluff. (except cough Randomicity cough... no I'm just messing with you) Anyway! So, don't ask me what that means. We'll get back to the gang in either Ch 11 or Ch 12. It depends on how long my plotting takes. And Toph, shut up about what's going to happen or I'll have to slap you.

That is all.

avatar209: Yes. I had to have some Toph/Aang friendship going on. They didn't really play up on it in the show.

DuHSPaZZiNGFeL: This chapter should answer your question. (And thank you!)

Sokkas Instincts 2: Whew okay. Good. You see, I don't really want a beta, but if I was doing a horrible job or something, I'd definitely recruit one. If I change my mind, you'll be the first I ask. Thank you.

TTAvatarfan: Thank you very, very much!

Jeni27: Yeah. Haha. I re-read it (mostly to check for errors) and I was laughing, so I understand. That makes me feel lame though. Laughing at my own writing... But thank you!

Axel-of-the-Fantasy: I agree. Randomly rocky is the perfect description. Hopefully it smooths out though.

XxFaithXxHopeXxLoveXx777: Thankie!

prettygirl17: Thank you. I don't think I'll recruit one after all.

lightspeedc: Of course! You didn't think I'd leave you hanging, did you? ;)

Nasecoeur42: More shall come in due time. Patience young jedi.

RandomWarning: Shush up about the Suki thing! Other people don't know! Lol. But yeah, that's later. And the "Operation" thing. I don't know when I'll have time to write it, but I'll get to it later. As for the Kataangy goodness questions: All will be answered in this chapter! Yay.

Randomicity: Thankies. Well this chapter _is indeed_ the "f" word. And not that "f" word, but the other "f" word. Agg! I'll just say it. Fluff! :)

_Disclaimer__: _I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

* * *

Aang walked right up to Toph's room. He had a new-found confidence inspired by the earthbender and he wasn't going to waste a minute of it. After he approached, he stood still and inhaled a deep breath through his nose, exhaling through his mouth. He opened the door cautiously. It squeaked and caught the attention of Katara who was lying on her stomach on the bed. She trembled softly, unmoving, and a moment past. Aang just gazed at her, the confidence deteriorating quickly.

"Go away, Toph," she mumbled in a melancholy tone.

Aang slid into the room silently and shut the door behind him. He walked up to her and set a hand tenderly on her back. Her muscles tightened at his familiar touch, but she didn't move.

"Katara..." he breathed.

Her head lifted at the sound of his voice and she looked at him. He sat down beside her and dove into her eyes lovingly.

"Oh. It's you." The words were somber but, in a way, relieved as well. She sniffled softly, her eyes glazed over and suddenly sprang forward at him, tossing her arms recklessly around his torso and burying her head into his shoulder. "I'm so, so sorry," she appologized.

Aang sat his head atop hers and closed his eyes as his hand trailed her back lightly in soothing motions.

"It's okay," he replied. He was still unsure of what she was mad at him for in the first place, but decided it didn't matter as long as it was in the past. "There's nothing to appologize for."

She squeezed herself closer to him and he held her tighter as well.

"I was just being... emotional and... I'm sorry, Aang! I'm so, so sorry!"

He let her cry it out on his shoulder, enjoying the moment with her, no matter what the circumstance was. Her sobs made him ache a bit, but he tried to ignore it in order to show sympathy for the girl.

"Katara, please. It's okay. There's no need to be upset," he promised. She lowered the volume in the slightest, trying to keep the crying in. The Avatar smiled weakly at her, stroking her hair with his fingers.

"I just..." Katara trailed off, pulling away from him and wiping her eyes, "I'm not mad at you, okay? I want you to know that. In fact, I just want to pretend this never happened. I want to spend the day with you. We can do anything. Whatever you want. To... to make up for my stupidity." She scanned under her eyes again with the back of her hand and peeked at him from under her lashes, flashing a regretful smile.

Aang thought about her words for a moment, ignoring the hidden apology. He didn't want her to be sorry.

"How about a surprise?" he asked thoughtfully, bringing his forefinger to his bottom lip while he scanned his brain for ideas.

"What'd'ya mean?" she questioned in return.

After a quick smile, he pulled her close again and explained more thoroughly. "You said 'anything I want'. I'll take you up on that offer and I'm thinking I know what I want to do, but to you... it'll just be a surprise, kay?" He gazed into her blue eyes, finding getting lost in them an easy task to accomplish and shook himself out of her binds.

She nodded and hummed contentedly, causing vibrations to stem from below his collarbone. He smiled and blushed involuntarily in response as the two sat in each other's embrace.

"So," Aang asked, trying to pick off where the conversation was left off, "Are you going to let me take you somewhere or do you just want to stay here all day?"

Katara sighed, another sign of happiness. "Though staying here does sound tempting, my curiosity has the best of me." She pulled back and stared at him quizzically. "Where to?"

The airbender beamed at her and stood, took her hand and swiftly pulled her up as well. He guided her to the door and opened it for her, waiting for her to exit. Katara couldn't help but match his warm smile and she nodded to him in thanks. She adored how he knew just the right amount of chivalry to make her feel like a princess. She'd never really thought about it, but in a way she already was. She was the daughter of Chief Hakoda, and on top of that, fate decided to give the Avatar to her as a boyfriend. She continued to smile gleefully at the thought. Her life managed to lay down all the right cards even when she didn't know she was playing.

"We're just going to take a walk," he announced as they trailed out the front door and into the town. He grabbed her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers in a delicate manner, causing her cheeks to turn a light shade of pink. She tried to recall a time he'd made her blush and couldn't think of anything, only remembering herself as the _cause_ of the blushing.

She suddenly wondered where they were going again, but settled on letting him do the leading and just to follow. She kept her mouth firmly shut and felt the heat in her cheeks over and over everytime he glanced at her. She was oblivious to the reason, but enjoyed the sensation all the same. It made her thoroughly understand the feeling of having 'butterflies in the stomach' and she came to be fond of the emotions that tagged along with that very feeling.

As soon as the two reached the opening of the forest, Aang gave her hand an affectionate squeeze and released it. He leaned his body forward, kneeling on his right knee and placed his hands flat on the ground. She watched as he closed his eyes and pursed his lips, the searching in his features becoming clear when his forehead creased at the brow.

"This way," he said lightly, pushing off the ground and pointing a bit to the right. The direction was a little further out from the ocean then they were, but still in the density of the forest. Katara tilted her head to lead her eyes where he pointed and nodded conspicuously. Almost like it was a mechanic thing to do, he grabbed her hand again and walked beside her at a slow pace. He was excited to go where they were going, but she didn't notice for two reasons. She was fixated on the destination and he must have been naturally gifted at keeping the furor from his expression.

It wasn't long until she was itching with the same eagerness, keeping herself expectant for anything. She'd never seen him use his earthbending as Toph always had, to 'see' something unless he was training. He stopped in his tracks and the sky became darker, for the shadows of the trees spread out masterfully over the ground. She could feel a cool breeze, which felt nice in the humid air.

"We're here," was the next proclaimation and Katara found herself smiling again.

Several big boulders stood before the two, and Aang shifted his eyes from them to Katara. She was studying them and after she realized he was watching her, raised an eyebrow.

He tugged on her arm, to circle around the boulders, where a large pond rested, a small stream flowing out of it towards the ocean. The water was a perfect cerulean blue, complete serenity almost seeping from it like steam.

"It's... beautiful," she whispered.

He nodded and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. I knew you'd like it."

"_Like_ it?" she questioned. That was an understatement if she'd ever heard one. "It's unbelievable!"

Aang immediately began removing his clothes; first, his shirt over his head clumsily, and Katara quickly caught on. She followed suit, and soon both of them were in their bathing attire.

Aang walked in, noted the temperature of the liquid and heated it up. Katara, on the other hand, continued staring as if in a trance.

Getting a glimpse of the hesitant waterbender, Aang cocked his head to the side. "What's wrong?" he asked, worry coaxing his voice.

She shook her head; not to say no, but to shake her thoughts away.

"It's just... the last time I saw water this beautiful was at the North Pole. It seems like it was such a long time ago." She took a few steps forward and let the water lap at her feet. Then, she continued the way and met Aang in the center of the pond.

"It's only been a year," she continued, "A long year that's gone by quickly in some ways, and leisurely in others. I don't know, I guess it's just strange." She shrugged, "A year ago I would've never thought about going fishing with Sokka and coming across my best friend in a giant piece of ice. It all seems so magical. So mysterious. So... incredible."

Aang nodded in agreement. He bended a globe of water and passed it around to Katara who returned it on instinct, causing the liquid to rotate around in a circle.

"A year ago... well, I guess, one hundred and one years ago... I wouldn't have guessed that I'd meet the most amazing and beautiful girl in the entire world and end up falling in love with her all in one day." He shrugged.

She smiled and felt her cheeks flush with color again. She felt the sudden, imperious need to bowl him over and kiss him shoot high up on her 'things to do' list. Somehow she contained herself, though the light red on her skin didn't dissipate.

"Aang..." she whispered. She dropped the circle of water and felt a rush of deja vu and sorrow sweep through her. "Why are you acting like this is the last time you'll ever see me?"

Her question startled him and he blinked at her several times in a rapid motion.

"Katara, I'd treat you like this every day for the rest of our lives, if that's what you'd like. All I want is for you to be happy." He smiled solemnly at her strange accusation and swam closer. Once he reached where she was, she smiled as well, but all the emotion was drained.

"Aang, you're not going anywhere are you?"

He slipped his arms around her waist and shook his head. After a moment of silence, he added more. "Well, I guess if you mean meetings and such. All that boring stuff, then yeah. I can't stay in the South Pole."

"I expected that. That's why I'll be going with you."

All the doubt was gone, and she felt odd for even asking him such a thing. Why would he leave? His family is here. His family is with her...

"Then, no. I'm not leaving," he said and smirked at her feat, it seemed.

Each one of her feelings from before flooded her mind, and that want... that _need _to taste him was very persistent. The close proximity was not a helping factor.

She leaned forward, barely, but bit her lip to hold herself back. He desperately needed to do something to get her mind off of him before she did something rash she'd later regret. That action may or may not be imminent. This, she wasn't sure.

To both her horror and excitement, he brought her body closer to him and tucked her hair behind her ear. She shivered from his touch, wanting more than anything to bask in it. His face came nearer to hers until it was less than an inch away.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you?" he whispered, reading her eyes. The noise offered her lips a tingling sensation. Katara didn't know when he'd become such a tease, but the thought was pushed to the back of her mind to later evaluate. He must've seen something in her expression that pleased him, because his ridiculous smirk became more smug by the second. "Because," he continued, "there's no words for how much that happens to be."

He hovered over her for another moment longer before he tilted his head and pressed his lips to hers. There was an urgency as he rested them there, like all of that need and aggravation was just as strong as her own. She didn't remember when she closed her eyes, but then again, it was another thought to be pushed away until another time. At the moment, her most important goal was to remember how to breathe. That part seemed to be a necessity in the kiss. Once she had finally caught up to what was going on, -and she figured out how the whole breathing thing worked- she became engulfed in all things Aang. His scent. His body. His passion. Even her hands found their way to the back of his head. One arm rested on his neck, while the other tag teamed to hold him to her.

As she parted her lips for him, she felt his arms tighten around her waist. He followed her lead this time and brought his hands to her hips to steady himself. She tried to pay more attention to his reactions. His hands seemed to travel a lot. He was either unsure where to put them, or nervous beyond belief. She giggled and broke the kiss, placing her forehead to his.

"What?" he asked, chuckling softly with an eyebrow raised as if he wasn't let in on a joke.

Katara smiled at him.

"Several things, actually," she admitted. "First, I thought you were _never_ going to do that. Second, I-"

"Wait, do what?"

She rolled her eyes. "Listen first, ask questions later, okay?" He nodded. "Second, I want you to do it more often. And third, they go wherever is most comfortable."

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it. There was a short silence before he spoke again.

"You lost me. I was never going to do _what_? And what goes where, _when_...?"

It was her turn to smirk. She fluttered her eyes softly and leaned back down to kiss him again. "This," she explained in an almost inaudible voice against his lips. She stared at him for a reaction, but he stayed still and watched her thoughtfully. She pulled away and looked down at his fingers resting casually on her ribs. "These," she touched one of his hands tenderly with her fingertips.

"Oh," he replied in an understanding manner, "Sorry."

Katara shook her head, her hair swaying back and forth in the calm, cool breeze. "It's fine. I don't care. Wherever is most comfortable," she repeated.

"No. Well, I guess, yeah, about that, too. But, I mean about... is that what you were really angry about this morning and last night? That I wouldn't kiss you?"

She looked to the side, away from him and at the dense forest.

"I thought we agreed that didn't happen?" she asked. He ignored her.

"Katara. I wasn't _not_ kissing you. Do you know how hard it was not to?"

She nibbled on her bottom lip. She was pretty sure she knew. All that agony over not being kissed. That was fairly annoying. It wasn't really a pleasant experience or anything.

"But I tried to kiss _you _and you wouldn't let me," she complained.

His diabolically adorable expression was back. "Every time you tried to kiss me, it wasn't the right time. I wanted to. Oh, believe me, I wanted to. But I also wanted it to be perfect. Completely, indescribably perfect. I wanted you to feel like it was the most spectacular moment of your life."

Her expression wavered uneasily between a smile and a frown. She was moved by his words. Everything that ever came out of his mouth nowadays was a confession of love for her. But she was also distraught about why she would ever try to be upset with him. There wasn't a point. Each attempt at hardening was a failure. His words made her melt every time.

He tugged at her chin and forced her to look at him. His eyes were shining with compassion and she knew there was no way any of what he said was a stretch of the truth.

"If you're not looking for perfection, that's fine with me. I, personally, deem this as the best moment of _my_ life. I don't need to kiss you to be happy," he paused and smiled, "but... I suppose it is a nice touch."

Aang craned his neck forward to plant a small peck on her lips and she finally smiled against them.

"I'm sorry," she whispered when he placed his forehead delicately against hers again.

"There's nothing to be sorry for. Just holding you, like this, is all the bliss I need. _You_ make me happy."

Katara found herself blinking back oncoming tears. It couldn't be natural for one person to feel so much in love with another. Her pull to him was stronger than before and she felt as if thousands of strings were suddenly attaching her to him. She didn't mind it, though.

"C'mon," he said abruptly, "I want to show you something."

She could help but smile as he pulled her out of the water by the hand. She glanced once more at the immaculate pond before she picked up her top from the ground.

"Oh. You don't need those. I'll get them later," he assured matter-of-factly.

She dropped the red garment and shrugged, knowing it would be better to stay in her bathing suit. Why hadn't she thought of that? It was so _hot_.

When Katara turned around, Aang swept her off her feet and startled her, causing the girl to yelp. She blinked at him, but he just continued beaming. The waterbender secured her arms around his neck and gave him a quizzical look. He returned it in a joking matter as he laughed under his breath.

They were still for a moment, but in less than a blink of an eye, he leaped far into the air. Katara's breath caught in her throat when she tried to scream, but his concentrating face soothed her. She closed her eyes and leaned into his chest, feeling every light jump, but trying to ignore the sensation in the pit of her stomach.

She lost count at eleven, each pounce becoming less and less able to notice. She didn't dare to look if they stopped, so she hugged him tighter. He looked down at her and how she cuddled into him when he came to a halt. The young Avatar kissed the top of her chocolate hair and she peeped up at him.

"We're here," he stated softly. He laid her down as she stared up at the slate blue sky, examining the clouds that shielded the too-warm sun. She heard him chuckle and pushed her head as far back as she could to look at him.

"Hmm?" she asked incredulously.

He shifted his eyes from somewhere she couldn't see to his angel's masterpiece.

"It's not the sky we're here to look at." He gestured past him suggestively, making her ache with curiosity. She pushed herself up to a comfortable siting position when she finally realized what she was resting on.

Several deep green, leaf-like items sat underneath her like a velvety cloth. She wobbled, afraid to stand, and looked up at him with frightened eyes. She started breathing quickly through her lips, her eyes darting in several directions to confirm her fear. She was sitting on top of a tree. No, several trees, all formed very near each other.

"A-Aang? We're h-high."

He took one look at her terrified expression and smirked. He pulled her arm to make her stand and held her by the hip to keep her close to him.

"Do you really think I'd let you fall to your doom?" he asked, his voice casual. He gestured again, out into the open and for the first time, she looked.

The town they were staying in was glistening in the humid heat, the water from the dark blue ocean spraying it with it's content. There were tiny ships docked at the far left from where she could see, and tiny people roamed fluidly through the entire place. The ocean's waves smacked the fore of the docks, where it led to the sun's reflection in the water below.

She gaped in awe at the sight. Everything looked so small and insignificant. She wondered where that put her in the world. Sure, she was an important figure. One of the heroes, one of the good guys. But she was still tiny. From far in the sky, she'd just be a dot. Like so many others...

She was still staring open-mouthed when Aang pulled her body nearer to him. She glanced at him, then back at the ocean and town below her, and back at him again.

"It's the most beautiful thing," she said, all fears diluted in her amazement.

He cocked his head to the side and looked off into the sky for a moment.

"Well... I don't know about _that_." Quickly, he shifted his eyes back to her.

Her cheeks betrayed her again by turning a deep shade of red. He placed a hand on the side of her face and moved his thumb back and forth lightheartedly, before running his fingers down her jawline. His trail left her skin tingling.

"We should probably get back, now," Aang proclaimed lightly, the shine in his eyes bright with a strange and seemingly permanant anticipation. "I bet they're worried about us."

"Who cares?" she asked.

Aang smiled and sweeped her into his arms again.

"_I_ do."

* * *

_A/N:_ This chapter... I love it! Yay!

Oh, I have some other great news: 10 more reviews until I reach 100! That's great. Just great. You would think, as a writer, I'd be able to come up with a word far superior to 'great', but I can't.

-sigh-

R&R! :D Thank you!

-Katara


	10. From The Ashes, Part 1: The Mask

**Book One: The Oracle**

**Chapter Ten: From The Ashes, Part 1: The Mask**

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_A/N: _As you may recall from the last chapter (or you could just go read the Author's Note...), I said _"This _(chapter nine) _is the last consecutive "gaang" chapter." _Now, if you didn't understand, here's what I've been talking about. This chapter is not focused on the gaang, but rather, a more interesting point of view. But don't worry. I assume some of you only read this for the fluff, but there has to be some drama, hmm? So, with that said, let's go onward shall we?

Bwahahaha! Be afraid. Be very afraid. This chapter is a HUGE and TERRIBLE cliffhanger. -sorry- :)

By the way, I'm dedicating chapters to certain people now. Yay. It'll be right above the Disclaimer.

arizony: Thank you, tremendously. I'm glad to read your reviews!

Mr.Kataang: I'm happy you're enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it.

Avatar Wolf: I'm with you there... Thank you.

DuHSPaZZiNGFeL: Perfect, huh? Wow. Thanks!

avatar209: Fluff is truly amazing... but I must explore!

Jeni27: Haha, I love your rants. Thank you so much! And also, thanks for the new word to add to my vocabulary.

Randomicity: Okay. I know you don't mind fluff and all, but I also know you want to read some of this chapter, too. Well, I hope you do... I had to thicken the plot somehow...

XxFaithXxHopeXxLoveXx777: Well, I appreciate the reviews as always. And I've noted your name. Thanks for sticking around!

Glistening blue eyes: Kataang fluff, Kataang fluff. My favorite thing of all. But I have to please all my readers, so endure this chapter, please? -for me?-

RandomWarning: I should hit you. But I can't. I don't want to end up like my brother. Or Sokka... And yes. When I say Kataang fluff, I mean KATAANG FLUFF! xD Thanks for review 100, by the way. :D

Nasecoeur42: Ahh, review 101. It's nice. Lol. Thank you. I'm loving your enthusiam, and like I've said to others, please endure this chapter. And the next, I guess. But there will be Kataang fluff like you wouldn't imagine. I promise you!

hsm2fangurl: I'm going, I'm going! :P Thanks, so much!

_This chapter is dedicated to Randomicity. I know you were dying to bathe in the action._

_Disclaimer: _I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

* * *

Yulla was her name.

It surprised many people that the Earth King would recruit someone from the Fire Nation as an assistant and personal advisor. She was one of those people who didn't trust anyone unless she was instructed to, and Kuei took an immediate liking to her for that very reason. She got things done, but, it was her identity that caused her to be so precise rather than her passion for her career. She took it all very seriously; possibly too seriously. She was the reason the curtains were pulled aside to let the performers free, so to speak. She'd steer clear of being part of the actual entertainment. But, all in all, she was okay with that. Yulla had already done a far better job with the Earth Kingdom than Long Feng could've dreamed, and Kuei adored her for it.

Her life was a chaotic one. At the age of three, she was imprisoned for disobedience. She was personally grateful to the Avatar for setting the world straight, even though she believed Ozai deserved the death penalty for his deeds. She dispised the Fire Nation on account of the war and the agony it bestowed on her childhood. She was relentless when it came to venturing there, even for meetings. Problems and arguments ensued, causing the Earth King to reluctantly let her stay home, instead of journeying where she felt uncomfortable.

Although her life was not perfect, everything she wished for was beginning to fall into place and she realized she was happy. She wondered how long it would last.

Her question was soon answered. One afternoon, out of nowhere, she was suddenly overcome with a feeling of paranoia and anxiety. Every turn on the road home was a nightmare. She could hear the footsteps, the soft laughter, and the ignition of flames. Someone was following her. Calm silences and nice dreams were a thing of the past as they all turned to fear of the unknown. Her pulse quickened with every breath she took outside the confines of the King's palace. For the first time, she felt vulnerable within the walls of Ba Sing Se.

Her brain foraged only struggling and attempting to claw at her attacker, while her lungs failed miserably in allowing her to scream. In the end, the last thing she remembered was blackness, followed by a sudden calm and soothing feeling. Yulla fluttered her eyelids, viewing three figures in her blurry vision as they stared her down and cranned their necks to study her. Her eyes darted from them to a small yellow light floating above the ground in a circular motion. The figures spoke in a soft, reassuring tone. They were words she couldn't even comprehend, but drowziness swept over her like wind.

Now her master was the perfect Yulla. She was five feet, six inches, with cropped, black hair and cat-like golden eyes. She wore petal blossom perfume, a long silver cloak, and thin, black rimmed glasses. She would coax herself in the shadows to soothe her broken spirit until the plan was set in motion. She disliked the fact she had to reside under the name of another, less significant being than herself, no matter the reward that could stem from the sacrifice. There was no turning back now, and simple 'dislike' wasn't enough to change her mindset. Time was of the essence.

The person who was Yulla in every way, the one who was raised as a prisoner of war, was no more. Unbeknownst to the citizens of Ba Sing Se, to the royal guard of the palace, and even to his royal highness himself, she was revolutionary. Yulla was replaced behind the scenes by the one person who had the power to bring chaos to the world.

So now, _she _was Yulla. Yulla was _her_ name.

There had been an extent of following - or stalking as some would say - to achieve this goal, but it came to be of use for the new Yulla. At the moment, she was on a ship of the royal guard, signing papers to allow her access to the Fire Nation's Capitol City palace. The Earth King's seal could get anything accomplished and Kuei seemed quite pleased she was getting over her hard feelings. Hard feelings, indeed.

How nice it would be to visit home.

She folded the paper pristinely and perfectly as she'd watched Yulla do so many times before. She used to be such the perfectionist. But all those quirks and little things that made her an individual human being were dissolved and replaced in less than an hour's time. Some people were so easily fooled into loyalty, it was heartbreaking.

She scoffed silently under her breath. People were so predictable.

After tucking the paperwork into her suave green, silk handbag, she stood and wandered to the rail. The water below was being forced out of the way of the propellers and thrown backwards, causing a thick trail of foamy white to spew from the rear of the ship. The steel blades slowly rolled to a stop as they came into port. She glided off the large piece of metal, clutching a suitcase and her bag to her sides, and was instantly approached by a man in a white and red outfit.

"Would you like an escort, ma'am?" the man asked politely. He gestured to several others and the deep red of their clothing was appealing to her eyes.

She nodded curtly. "If you insist."

They were members of the new royal guard, she assumed, knowing the insignia like the back of her hand. It had changed a bit, the symbol of fire tweaked in the slightest and giving the meaning a whole new touch. This angered her. How dare Zuzu change the essence of the symbol for the royal guard! Such a thing was preposterous.

The group walked in silence to the Capitol City. It was a long road, unlike she remembered and things had changed.

The security inside the city was high-end. So many people, not even ones of importance or royalty, flooded the Capitol City. The group the royal guard had provided her with formed two straight lines on each side of her and walked her pace down the cobblestone path. Once they'd reached the threshold of the outer palace, the shimmering gates were opened for them. Six of the men joined the others at the gate and she was left with one on each side. She couldn't think of anything she'd need protection from, even though her alias lacked any form of bending. If rebels were the problem, she didn't know how they'd get into the Capitol City. The new _Fire Lord _was too important to leave unsheltered.

After entering the front doors to the palace, the remaining two men left her. Another, leaner man removed her coat and bowed in a humble manner.

"I understand you are here to inspect," he said vaguely, gulping nervously at the break of the sentence.

She nodded. "I have business to attend to, if you don't mind. I will begin your inspection at the break of dawn." She unbuttoned the pouch of her bag and handed him the note with the green seal of Kuei.

A short scam was all he needed to shake his head.

"Don't give this to me. I'd be fired if I took it."

She gave him a quizzical look, "Who _do_ I give it to?"

"I'm not entirely sure. The Earth King doesn't usually stamp his permission on anything that isn't a treaty. I'm here to show you to your room, but I'll need to examine your luggage first," he explained.

Her voice caught in her throat after his last statement was in the air. She blinked back emotions of minute terror away and replaced it with a sly smirk.

"The Earth King has confided in me that I not show these important documents to anyone," she bluffed fluidly, "I wouldn't want such a kind man like yourself to make a poor mistake that could get you fired, as you've said before. This," she wavered the note in front of him, "is merely a hall pass of sorts. But this," the briefcase was pulled upwards with a bend of her elbow, "is top secret material."

She could see the fear in the mans eyes for even _thinking_ about saying such a thing. Taking even a peak inside would be a foul act. His nod was brittle.

"I s-see..."

She flashed him a smile and he swallowed again, gesturing with his hand for her to follow him. After she nodded, he brought her upstairs and into a room. A guest room. A sudden feeling of resentment washed over her for losing her grand and beautiful room. She'd lost being adored and constantly catered on as well. Succeeding against all odds was the only way to win everything back.

Her face stiffened as she watched him depart. She had every move planned out before she started to put the works in progress, expecting the worst. There hadn't been any predicaments and no one had seen through her nearly flawless persona, but it all seemed too easy. Zuko wasn't even on the same landmass as her at the moment, something she'd found out from the Earth King himself. He was going to Ba Sing Se. Hah! He wouldn't be around to recognize her as only a brother could. She was home free.

A smirk was on her face after her thoughts rotated through. She loved herself for the encouragement.

Azula tapped the door to her room, not closing it completely, and walked to her bed. She was in no hurry. The briefcase was popped open with a _click_ and she held the top part firmly in her hand. Removing a shimmering dagger with a faded blue hilt, she grimaced at the reflection staring back at her. She didn't look like herself! The ex-fire lord rolled her eyes and she withdrew the black clothing within.

She redressed and slipped a midnight glove over each hand, closing the case and tossing it under the bed skirt. She emptied her bag on the mattress and left the note from the Earth King sitting upright on the nightstand.

Tip-toeing at a swift pace, the princess made her way to the door. She grasped a hand on the clip in her hair before tugging the claws and letting it fall to the ground. Her hair shaped her face as she discarded the glasses on the floor as well, stomping on them with her black boots. One side shattered and the glass stumbled out of the black rim, the shards pinned down by her firm footing. She made a low grumble, almost like a growl and placed her eyes back on the door.

Her hand pulled it open as slow as it could manage. Azula's eyes shifted back and forth as she stared out the entrance, visualizing no one and leaping into the hallway. The movement was fierce, yet stealthy, but she almost lost her footing on the landing. It took her only a brief second to regain her composure, but she felt lightheaded, a strange sensation to her powerful body.

The girl looked to each side of her again, her head shaking in quick jabs at the air, while her hair sprayed in both directions. She nodded, as if to reassure herself and quirked an eyebrow. After her strange performance ended, she placed a hand on her hip.

"Azula," she whispered in the softest of tones, "you are beautiful.

"Azula, you are keen.

"Azula, you are precise.

"Azula... you are _perfect_."

She laughed a cackling laughter, but it was hushed, just as her silenced whisper. She stalked off to the right, the opposite way she was led to the room, and made her way out of the palace. The front entrance was far too risky, knowing that not everyone would be asleep. She took another exit instead.

It was to the far right side of the vast building, and it led to a small garden. She spent barely any time in this place. It was nearly opposite to the courtyard with the turtle-ducks. The ones she used to just _love _to play with. Arrogant, mindless creatures. So fun to torture...

She dove under the canopy of a short tree when she heard a screech of the wind. It felt as if a presence was about her, but she saw and heard no one. She narrowed her eyes, trying to raise the precision of her sight. Even in the cold, black night, nothing truly feared her. The worst they could do was lock her up, and she knew that wouldn't happen. She could evade anyone. Even the Avatar.

As if on impulse, her body slinked forward like a bullet. Her eyes seemed to scan everywhere at once, defying human nature. Her limbs were nimble during their swim across the grass-padded surface, and only slow, steady breaths were allowed access to her lungs.

Something glittered a distance away from her as she hurried through the open garden and down a cobblestone path. She smiled. Her memory was accurate as well.


	11. From the Ashes, Part 2: Sealing the Deal

**Book One: The Oracle**

**Chapter Eleven: From the Ashes, Part 2: Sealing the Deal**

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_A/N:_ I'm so sorry this chapter took forever! I apologize with all my heart! I even wrote a oneshot to try and make up for it. It's called _The Little Things_. Go forth and read. ;) And review if you will. By the way, because this is a part 2 chapter, I'm not putting review replies.

_This chapter is dedicated to Sokkas Instincts 2. Thanks for sticking with me from the beginning._

_Disclaimer: I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it._

* * *

_...Something glittered a distance away from her as she hurried through the open garden and down a cobblestone path. She smiled. Her memory was accurate as well..._

It was during her childhood. She was a devious little girl, and she knew it. She lived for it. But getting into other people's business was one of her prime characteristics. There wouldn't be 'Azula' without mischief.

Not that she really cared or wondered about what anyone else did; she just wanted to know how it would affect her.

Her cousin died during Iroh's siege over Ba Sing Se. When uncle came home, he had tears in his eyes and depression that lurked into every pore. How could this puzzled, misguided and broken man be expected to reign over the Fire Nation? Sure, he was the first born son of the Fire Lord; crowned prince of the western part of the world, thus, the ability swam through his veins. He was demented and stubborn like so many other Lords of the past, but he, himself, was unfit for the job.

He came home, crying. _'I'd do anything to get my dear Lu Ten back...' _The whole bit. It seemed Azulon had sympathy for him. Yet another weakness! Sympathy was for the blinded. The impotent. The addle-minded. It was an unacceptable vulnerability with a role such as his own.

And someone killed Azula's grandfather for his weakness. She didn't know who, and she didn't really care either. He was old, and it was pulled off as a simple act of mother nature.

If that was the case, Ozai wouldn't have become Fire Lord. The world most likely wouldn't be encased in war a few years longer than it had. Iroh would've changed things. He would've built a new, better world. A peaceful one.

But there was no lapse of peace. There was no prosperity. Azulon died because someone killed him, and Ozai took his place on the throne.

And then... there was an even more interesting turn of events. The Avatar killed Ozai! Sympathy was obviously not a weak spot for him. But he _did_ have a weakness. That little water tribe girl.

She thought about kidnapping her, or _something_, but decided she was too well protected. Kidnapping wouldn't be necessary if she played her cards right...

But this was about Iroh and his spiritual need to be with his son. His spiritual connection that was so deep and pathetic he ventured to the spirit world to visit his lost child.

He wrote a letter to somebody; who it was was unclear, for the entry stated 'To whom it may concern,'. He left it on the nightstand, along with another piece of paper he scrawled on and departed the physical world for something more. Azula was curious. A strange and quiet form of the word. She took advantage of the old man and placed his papers in safe keeping. Somewhere nobody went.

The princess walked, slowly now, up to the shimmering object. The silver of the handle gleamed in the moonlight as it rested on a pristine and untouched piece of wood.

What was better than a fall-out shelter to hide something other people shouldn't have access to? The one that hid under the noses of all the inhabitants of the royal family. They knew where it was, but it wasn't used. There hadn't been a natural disaster violent enough in the city for the use of underground shelter.

She pulled at the handle and it creaked as the hinges moved. They were a bit rusty from lack of oiling, something that was only done every year or so. It was most likely the oldest place of the palace. Everything else was replaced or renovated with time, but the large room under the earth was nearly lost to the ages.

After staring into the blackness, she peered up once more to check if anyone was near. She made a hasty descent down the ladder and landed without difficulty on the rough stone surface.

Her hand conjured a small blue flame that forced light to flicker through the entire room, only leaving small shadows behind large objects and causing cobwebs to become more prominent. She smirked and made her way over to a small chest in the corner. It was dull, with a key-accessible lock hanging from its clutches. She studied it for a moment before pulling the dangling lock away from the chest and thrusting her elbow on the top where the loop connected. It shot open and she finagled with it, causing it to fall and clatter on the ground. The sound echoed eerily.

After opening it, she laid her eyes on the small, crinkled pieces of paper within. The princess closed her hand and the small flame disappeared. Her hands dove in and retrieved sheets, folding them quickly and placed them down the front of her shirt.

That was the easy part.

She climbed back up the ladder and out of the underground room. If _Zuzu _hadn't changed anything more (at least not drastically), the guards should be patrolling the other side of the palace. However, they would be on her side any moment now, causing her need to flee to transform into a priority.

She backed away from the fall-out shelter, keeping her eyes open for the guards. Almost effortlessly, she threw her body backwards over a hedge and shot up into the air, her hands guided by blue fire which lifted her over the palace wall.

If someone saw her, it was too late. She was long gone.

It was true, she could've entered the way she exited and dropped all the hard work, but it was better like this. She needed the people to worry. She needed everyone to turn against each other. If she, the Earth King's personal advisor, was sneaking around and stealing things, or even kidnapped by someone (which some people may debate due to the disarray of her room), there would be stress throughout the nations.

Plus, it was more fun this way.

--

_To whom it may concern,_

_I have successfully manufactured an alternate way to the Spirit World. I know someday I will be reunited with my dear son, but I must know if I can speak to him now. I have much to tell him. Much to apologize for. Along with this letter, I have enclosed the formula that seems to work. Only one journey has been made so far. The Spirit World is vast, and if there is any possible way to meet Lu Ten again, I will seek it out. I have spoken to many spirits, some kinder than others, along with a past reincarnation of the Avatar himself and a strange spirit named Koh. I found it difficult speaking to him, for you must show no emotion when doing so or he will steal your face._

That's where it ended. Azula read it many times in the past, knowing that someday, if it was useful, she would use it to her advantage.

It was useful now.

She pulled the other piece of parchment from underneath the first and read it.

_Langwin Tea_

_Separation of Chi within ones self_

Such a short and simple list, yet something no one ever thought of. Only Iroh would do something so strange as to experiment with tea to enter the Spirit World.

This particular tea was very rare, but simple to find for someone such as Azula. Upon expecting to need it, she searched for some after her escape from the Avatar and his companions. Even chi separation was simple. She had to do it in order to create the lightning she adored so deeply.

The princess brought her flame to a nearby boulder on the riverbed she currently inhabited. She molded it into a shape almost like a bowl and dipped it into the water. The liquid sloshed and settled, quickly turning a pale cream color as the Langwin was dropped in.

She sipped slowly, not knowing what to expect, and soon felt lightheaded. Azula paused and looked down at the hand holding the rock bowl. It was shaking violently. She quickly downed the rest of the substance while her limbs fell numb and tingled.

Was this right? Was this how it was supposed to be? She second guessed herself. Did she really get this 'Langwin'? She knew the description. She was aware that it was like no other. How could she be wrong? She was never wrong... She was perfect... no mistakes... oh, so perfect...

Her mind clouded up with misjudgment and thoughts of regret. What use was it to visit the Spirit World? What use was it to do all of this...?

Suddenly, a powerful wave crashed down on her body and she felt at peace. Azula took her chance and concentrated all her willpower on separating her chi. The simple act exhausted her thoroughly and forced her body to the ground. Her eyes were half lidded on the moist riverbed and she tried again.

Everything went black.

She could see dots. Sunspots, maybe?

Then a flash of light, and-

The tingling sensation was gone. She opened her eyes (when did she close them?) to take in her strange, unfamiliar surroundings.

What was this place? Jade green with swampy features. So this was what it was like to dream...

She stood. Her body felt drained, but she wasn't feint any longer. Her legs carried her through the trees as her limbs slowly regained their energy. Her heartbeat began to quicken, but died down just as soon as it started. A surge of anxiety and drowsiness washed over her and she felt as if she slept while she walked.

Her legs brought her to the mouth of an ominous cave. Azula felt like she'd been here before, but continued walking, leaving no room for debate.

It was dark inside; almost pitch black. She forced the remainder of her energy into her palm and felt warmth. But there was no fire. She tried again and again. Nothing.

The darkness engulfed her, but the aching in her limbs and a mysterious clicking noise told her she didn't sleep. She felt the presence of someone behind her and turned, but with no surprise, she still saw nothing.

"Hello," whispered a voice that seemed to chide.

She felt the breath of the man, heavy on her shoulder. She turned around again. Unexpectedly he was behind her, but she had no words. Her voice was lost to her exhaustion.

"I know why you have wandered here," the voice hissed through his teeth.

"Wha-" her voice cracked and she tried to clear her throat, but found even breathing a hard task.

"Hush, child. Do not hurt yourself."

Again, Azula tried to conjure a flame, but her attempt was futile.

"There is no bending here."

The princess' eyes widened with this knowledge, but she soon inhaled deeply through her nostrils, the breath calming her. This man could aid her... She found the strength to speak.

"I would like your assistance," she whispered. Her voice was so low, she expected him to miss it.

He didn't.

"I understand. I know of something that may help you. _Someone_, actually. But what will I get in return, I wonder?..."

"How... I..." She felt something touch her shoulder and growled inwardly. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure if you've been told, but I fancy the faces of others. You, my dear, are a different face. A face that would be my prized possession. But I need you. You are intriguing..."

"Who is this someone you speak of?" she questioned, quietly again.

"What's in it for me?"

Azula inhaled slowly again, pondering. What could this strange spirit, she figured, wish for?

"Have you met the Avatar?" she asked with a twitch of her lip. The fire princess could almost feel his nod.

"Good... I can promise you a face. A very... important face. A face that if I could, _I_ would keep as a 'prized possession'. The face... of the Avatar's beloved."

He hissed softly causing the room to echo with the sound and Azula narrowed her eyes, hoping it would grant her sight.

"I already possess the face of the Avatar's beloved! I crave his face. The face of the Avatar himself."

"You have her face? How?"

Koh laughed, causing Azula to cringe. "It was easy. Two, three hundred years ago... she was weak. Defenseless..."

Azula caught on. A past reincarnation's mate was of no use.

"Ahh, but you see," Azula corrected, chuckling darkly, "I speak of the current Avatar. If you have the face of his love, he would want her back. He would come and get her, no?"

Koh sighed. "Mmm... that is true. But he has great restraint for a child. He knows better than to show emotion in my presence."

"I would force him."

There was a long pause. He considered this. How did such a female; such a human female live with this spectacular wit?

"Yes," Koh whispered. "Yes..."

"Now... who is this someone you speak of?"

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A/N: I think I like this chapter. Not sure why, it's a little scattered. But I'll get to explaining it eventually. By the way, if I didn't make it blatantly obvious, Azula knows it's Koh because he said he fancies faces, and in the letter from Iroh, it said the same...

Please review! And again, I'm sorry I didn't post earlier. "-.-

-Katara


	12. Love, the Catalyst

**Book One: The Oracle**

**Chapter Twelve: Love, the Catalyst**

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_A/N: _Questions I expect: **Who is Raita?** The counter girl. I just never brought it up before because no one knew her name. - **Is this story going to be Taang or Zutara? **No. The characters are Katara and Aang. That is the focused relationship. - **Will there be more about Azula/Koh? **There has to be. I can't just leave you with what's in From the Ashes!

Sokkas Instincts 2:(Chapter 10) Well, she's not as insane as she was in the finale in this fic (even though everything Azula is insane). I figure she knows what she's gotta do. (Chapter 11) I laughed for a long time during our PM conversation about the length. But, I'm so glad you're starting to connect to the story. And, no problem. You deserve recognition.

Nasecoeur42: (Chapter 10) Thank you so much! I appreciate your kind words.

Randomicity:(Chapter 10) Haha, yes, it's Azula. And yes, she's evil. -squee!- (Chapter 11) Thankie, thankie! -bows-

hsm2fangurl:(Chapter 10) Yeah, when I wrote this, I wasn't even thinking about the Kyoshi warriors thing. Good job picking that up. That's great stuff. And I'm glad you enjoyed when she spoke to herself.

Jeni27:(Chapter 10) Thanks! I love that line by the way. Stop giving me interestingly strange things to say to people! ;) And I did say awesomesaucity three times fast. (Chapter 11) Koh is entirely creepy. That's why he's such a great aspect, hmm? So, here's your update. And by your update, I mean YOUR update. Check the dedication. ;P

RandomWarning:(Chapter 10) Yeah, well, I don't like her either. And yes, you wrote number 100. YAY! Love yas. (Chapter 11) Oh my goodness! It's out, it's out! Geez! Lol. :D

general shadow wolfsbane: (Chapter 10) Thank you. Loving the rabbit analogy. ;)

SpiffyAvatar Fan:(Chapter 10) I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Knowing my reading does that to my readers makes me feel better about my writing. So thank you for that. Azula did neither. She watched Yulla to observe how she acted, then got the Dai Li to knock her out and brainwash her.

_This chapter is dedicated to Jeni27. I appreciate your loyal reviewing and I hope you continue to enjoy my story._

_Disclaimer: _I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

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Sokka sat down and put his head in his hands. It'd been almost a month since he saw the one he loved most, but even then, it was under the heavy pursuit of firebenders. He didn't know if he could deal with distance again, as most of his relationship was based on verbal speech and human contact.

"Katara," he spoke wearily. She quickly recognized the severe strain in his voice and rose her head from the letter she was writing.

"I, uh... Do you suppose we could visit Kyoshi Island on our way home?"

When they looked at each other, Sokka refused to meet her eyes. He didn't wish for her to spot the growing sorrow in his blue spheres as well.

She nodded, a little reproachfully, and consumed herself once again in the letter. She wrote to Mr. and Mrs. Bei Fong, hoping dearly, for Toph's sake, they didn't lock her up again. The master earthbender Katara loved like an overbearing sibling was well aware of the imminent doom she was bound to pursue. She very much _could_ be held captive in her home once more, and this time, her parents had a good reason. All she could do was beg the spirits they understood and released her to the public, where she would be known as a war hero.

"Katara," Sokka whispered this time, "I really miss her."

The waterbender nodded, and ceased her writing. She couldn't work like this. Toph was snoring quite maliciously on the couch and Sokka was rambling on about Suki and Kyoshi.

"...I just don't know, anymore. I feel so depressed that she's gone, but on the other hand it's like my connection to her is slacking. I'm not sure if that's from the distance, or just because we're growing apart."

There were two quick raps on the door and Sokka lifted himself from the chair to answer it.

"Hey, Aang," he greeted as the airbender entered Sokka's room with the rest of the gaang.

"Alright, Appa's fed and ready to go if we're gonna hit the sky today. I already thanked Raita for letting us stay here. She's a really nice girl. She gave me directions to Gaoling from the tip of the Earth Kingdom. Not that we need it with Sokka's map reading skills, but you can never be too careful, huh?" When Aang was finished he was sitting at the table Katara and Sokka were located.

Sokka nodded and gave him a solemn smile. The young Avatar brought his eyebrows together inquisitively and looked to Katara for an answer. She simply held his gaze with ease and shook her head lightly. Her smile was a warm one, causing him to mirror it, but the image of Sokka lingered in his mind.

"Are you okay, Sokka?" Aang asked softly, ignoring Katara's warning, and continuing to hold her stare. The water tribe girl narrowed her eyes, still captivated by silver.

"Terrific," he mumbled into his arms.

Aang frowned.

"C'mon, Sokka. If you let it out you'll feel much better. Trust me."

Katara's eyes widened and she shook her head frantically, begging him to take it back. He shrugged and glanced briefly at the letter before her, then to the girl again, as if to say _'What's that?'_

"I just really miss Suki," Sokka mumbled into limbs and oaken wood. "But it's an aching kind of feeling. Like I'm missing something."

_'Here.'_ She pushed it to him across the table and he glanced at it.

"We can always go see her," Aang suggested lightly.

Aang began to read the letter. The handwriting was beautifully scripted and instantly, he recognized it as Katara's.

"I know, but in a way, I don't want to go. It's a really weird feeling. Like, I'll mess up our relationship or something. But on the other hand, I don't feel afraid of that, either. I'm so confused."

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Bei Fong,_

_We hope you've received Toph's letter by now. If you haven't, then our messenger hawk sent it to the incorrect place. Toph wants you to know she loves you and misses you greatly._

"I'm sorry, Sokka."

_Your daughter will be coming home within ten days. I don't wish to bother you any longer, so I'll cut this short._

_Sincerely,_

_Katara,  
Toph's friend_

"It's not your fault, Aang. It's my own. But thanks for listening."

Aang reached over for the pen and stopped to look at Katara. _'Make some changes?...'_

She nodded._ 'Go ahead.'_

"Of course. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. Remember that, okay?"

"Kay."

Aang scrawled on the parchment with haste and slid it back to the original scribe. She regarded it for a moment and read his sloppy handwriting._ She is very sorry for running away, but has stated many times she doesn't regret it. _was now placed between the last two sentences.

_'Huh?' _Katara questioned with a raise of her eyebrows.

Aang smiled and put his open palm up near his face to cease her internal questioning. _'Trust me.'_

After reading it again, she tilted her head to the side and nodded slightly. _'I guess it works.'_

There was a pause as Aang's eyes caught Katara's once more and they stared into each other. Sokka lifted his head from the table to look at his sister, but looked between them and decided enough was enough.

He cleared his throat loudly.

Both lovers looked at him and blushed, Katara more heavily (which was not to her liking).

"If you two are done," he chided with a sarcastic tone, "Someone needs to wake up Toph."

Aang and Katara exchanged a glance before looking at the sleeping metalbender. Her snoring was just as disgruntling as before, but until they were reminded of it, was pushed from their minds. The teenage airbender rose from his seat, approaching her vivaciously.

"Aang," Katara hissed, "You'll get yelled at. When Toph's grumpy, there's nothing I can do to save you from her wrath."

He laughed under his breath from the comment.

"I'll be fine, Katara."

Aang shook Toph lightly, but she only grumbled and rolled over. He giggled at her evasion and jostled her with a bit more determination this time, causing her nickname for him to come out with spite.

After a moment of aggravation, she calmed and placed her unseeing eyes on him.

"Oh, are we leaving?"

Aang nodded.

"Soon, so you should get ready."

Toph yawned and flipped her body so the bottoms of her feet were firmly on the ground. She was assisted upwards by Aang, who pulled her hand as she mumbled an unceremonial 'Umph'.

"Well, lemme just get my stuff then. It'll only take a few minutes..."

Aang bit his bottom lip. "Oh - I already... did that." He blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, causing Katara to emit an I-told-you-so laugh.

He flashed her a small smirk before turning back to a frozen Toph.

"You... _what?_" she questioned with a cold glare. Her features held for a moment before going soft and causing her to smile at his shocked reaction.

"Thanks, Twinkles." And with that she punched him in the arm.

It took him a few good minutes and an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder by Katara to recover from Toph's act of kindness. He figured she would beat him up for touching her possessions... expected it, almost... but she _didn't_.

When Aang was finished contemplating, Katara was massaging his shoulders, Toph re-entered the room, and Sokka was gathering his maps.

"Where are we headed, next?" asked Katara. "I mean, I know Gaoling, but we're not going to fly straight there... are we?"

"Of course not," Aang offered. Embarrassed, Katara ripped her hands from him and let them fall to her side. He turned around and smiled at her.

"Yeah, Appa can't fly _that _far," chimed in Sokka, breaking their delicate eye contact.

Toph, from the other side of the room, found the green headband within her things and turned to the rest of them as she placed it in her hair. "Yeah. I think, as long as I've been here at least, the furball's only flown two days straight at once. It'd take us at least eight days to get home."

"Okay, well, is everyone ready?" Aang questioned, turning to Katara once more. She nodded and the others verbally agreed with her nod. "Good. Let's head out."

The foursome slung their bags over their bodies and exited, closing the door behind them. Sokka waved to Raita on the way out, and Aang smiled, but the girls ignored her presence entirely. After making their way to the stables, Aang led Appa out and helped everyone onto his bison. Sokka decided to slide near the back of the saddle, using his pack as a pillow and laid down to rest his body.

"Hey," Katara said cheerfully, leaning over Appa's saddle to crawl down to Aang. He turned around and offered his hand, guiding her on the head of the large creature.

"Hey," he repeated, matching her sanguinity. "Yip-yip."

Appa took off into the air with a small growl. After they were far above the large ocean town, Katara leaned on Aang. He pulled her closer with his right arm and held the reins with his left, kissing her once on the peak of her head.

"It's okay if I sit up here, right?"

He smiled at her. "As long as you don't fall off," he joked.

She nuzzled as far as she could into his chest and he sighed with content before whipping the reins to get Appa to go right.

"I love you," Katara whispered, looking up at him. He brought his gaze to hers and the corners of his mouth turned upward in pleasure.

"I love you, too."

The two heard as Toph made a noise describing how repugnant she found the scene. Katara laughed, and just in spite of Toph, pressed her lips to the corner of her airbender's mouth.

"Appa, can you-" Aang attempted to say, cut off by the same lips, this time, full on his own. He heard Appa snort, almost as if he scoffed at the two, but continued to move rhythmically against Katara's soft lips.

Her moan caused his cheeks to turn bright red, but she pushed him farther, even with the heat through his face.

"Aang?" Sokka asked, leaning over the saddle and sighing when he saw the two. "Shouldn't you be steering?"

The airbender in question tilted his head and stopped the kiss, only earning a frown from his lover.

"Do you want to take charge, Sokka?" he asked, turning back to Katara, an obvious glint in her eyes.

He let out a heavy breath once more and rolled his eyes. "It'll probably be safer. And we might actually go where we need to go..."

Aang nodded half heartily, climbing atop Appa's saddle.

"Where are you planning to stop?" questioned Sokka, lifting a map from his pocket to his friend. His sister and the Avatar were already kissing again, so he tapped him with urgency.

"Yeah, uh... there!" Aang replied, pointing to a small dot below the Earth Kingdom.

Sokka regarded this for a moment before raising an eyebrow. "Kangaroo Island?" he questioned.

Aang shook his head. "Oh, sorry." He placed a quick kiss on Katara's cheek and viewed the map again. "There." This time, he pointed to a city which made much more sense. A fairly large city far west of Gaoling, but still on path. At this location, Appa could rest once again, and the weariness of flying would be relieved.

Sokka watched with narrowed eyes as the two picked up on their public display of affection, then glanced at Toph, her tongue sticking out in disgust. He made his way to Appa's head and held the reins to actually steer the bison.

If Aang and Katara kept this up, Sokka was going to do something about it. He didn't really like the idea of meddling with their relationship, knowing how depressed he currently was in his own, but they couldn't constantly have tongue duels, could they? One, they'd have to breathe eventually. Two, it couldn't be natural to spend that much time kissing. And three, if they got bored, who knew what could happen? Sokka shook that one off. They were both mature people, with good morals and good intentions. He knew that, and respected them deeply for it.

He was so glad Katara was finally happy, and that his best friend could find such bliss. They both had to deal with so much and lose so many things (especially Aang) so they deserved happiness. If each other was all they wanted, Sokka wasn't going to interfere.

* * *

_A/N: _So, that's it for chapter 12. I'll have 13 up at some point. Probably, and most likely, next weekend. After this update, there will only be one update every weekend for The Oracle. (Not like it wasn't much different before...)

We're back to fluff in this chapter, and the gaang at that. I'm not saying anything about 13, so you'll have to wait until next weekend!

Also, I think I like it this way. Sokka is almost always portrayed as an over-protective sibling (which he is), but I wanted to try it this way instead. :D

Well, please review. It'd make my day.

Oh! And go vote on my profile. There's a poll for this story. Please...?

-Katara


	13. Water and Air, Earth and Water

**Book One: The Oracle**

**Chapter Thirteen: Water and Air, Earth and Water**

* * *

A/N: I don't like giant time gaps, like I did with chapter (3?... I think it was 2 weeks?) ... anyway, so this is kinda like FLUFF filler. Yay for fluff. Oh, and also, Tokka is winning for this story. I know this chapter doesn't really scream Tokka (Boooo Sokka! How dare you? :D) but it will be if the main amount of votes is Tokka. SO if you want it, go vote! Thanks. (And please, please review!)

Randomicity: Thank you!

ilovekataang: Nah, Sokka's not gonna mess with Aang and Katara's relationship. He knows they love each other and even though he's overprotective, he knows Aang wouldn't hurt his baby sister.

Sokkas Instincts 2: Well, I'm kinda making Aang go through puberty... I guess it's time for it... Besides, I'm kinda doing what they did in The Headband. Making Aang all out there and Katara-now! And such... :3 But I totally get where you're coming from with the self-conscious thing. Let's change it up a bit, shall we? :D

RandomWarning: Yay! Look. At. Dedication! :) Oh and you'll see, you'll see. ;) Tokka ftw, no?

Jeni27: Haha! Thanks.

XpxalX636: Well... stealing Katara's face is what Azula told Koh, but if she really plans that, who knows? (cough-besides me-uncough) And if her plan will succeed... who knows?! :D

_This chapter is dedicated to RandomWarning (a.k.a. Toph). Haha, I know you love it!_

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

* * *

Katara awoke with the wind breezing slowly over her face and single exposed shoulder. She shivered and tilted her head down, bringing two tattooed arms into focus. Aang was under her, resting his back on the edge of the saddle, his embrace delicate around her waist. She blushed slightly when she realized she fell asleep in his lap, but the beauty-enhancing pink disappeared as soon as she attempted too remember _when_ exactly that was.

It was black in the sky, the sign for night, clouds hovering across the moon and amoung the stars. The master waterbender shifted her eyes across the saddle to a snoring Toph and furrowed her brow in worry. Sokka was still steering.

"Appa, you think you got this?" she heard her brother ask, obviously exhausted. It was strange he started talking right when her thoughts began to drift to him.

The bison gave a snort and soon after she saw Sokka climb into the saddle. She closed her eyes and nuzzled into Aang's neck, pretending to be asleep. Less than five minutes passed before her brother was snoring up a storm.

Katara opened her eyes once more to make sure he was out cold before being lulled to sleep by the sound of Aang's heart.

--

There was a tapping on her shoulder. Light and kind, but enough to wake her. She shifted her body to meet the gray eyes and warm smile she loved so entirely.

Aang stole his arm back from around her waist to place a finger on her lips.

"Shh," he cooed in a whisper before pointing past her, "Look."

Katara put her hand behind her head to pull all her hair over her right shoulder before leaning against her lover once again and viewing across the saddle. She instantly noticed what he was talking about and concealed a gasp on top of a giggle. Sokka and Toph were sleeping right next to each other, Toph's head resting soundly on Sokka's shoulder and his head on her own.

"Is that what we look like?" she heard Aang ask in her ear, his breath causing her cheeks to brighten.

"Maybe. Or at least, close enough. But there's definitely a difference."

"Oh?"

Katara nodded.

"I have no intentions of killing you when we wake up in the morning."

Aang chuckled inwardly and kissed her rosy cheek. "Thank the spirits for small things."

A few long minutes lapsed in complete silence. The Avatar took his lover's hand and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. She shivered, so he held her tighter. She smiled, so he smiled right along with her.

"If it wasn't for you," he started, pulling her body flush to his, "I wouldn't be here right now. The war would be over. The Fire Nation would've won."

She smiled.

"And if it wasn't for you, _I _wouldn't be here right now, either. The Fire Nation still would've won the war, and I would've died without mastering my bending or finding hope for the world."

Aang opened his mouth to say something, but closed it soon after. He stared at Toph and Sokka as the little earthbending master cuddled her loved one softly. He wondered if they could ever be together. He was in that position only months ago, and now here he was, able to kiss the girl he adored with all his being with complete freedom. Maybe Toph would be given the same liberty some day.

"Thank you," he whispered suddenly, churning his hand in Katara's hair.

She sighed under her breath.

"For what?"

"Saving me. Believing in me," he responded with a shrug. "Loving me."

The young airbender placed his lips on the side of her neck, causing her to yelp in surprise. Sokka mumbled in his sleep.

"S-sorry," he appologized, leaning his head on the rim.

"Don't be. Just... when did you get so bold?"

The question had been on her mind since they first arrived in the Fire Nation and discovered disguises. It was weird, actually. She wanted to blame it on his hair. It seemed he was different when it grew in. But... she _liked _it. Aang being so strikingly valiant definitely suited him for the better.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, really. You just... the dancing, then the kiss... and the other kiss and protecting me at the palace. The date. And... and now. It's like you're doing things strictly on impulse."

He pondered this. He _was_ doing things on impulse. But he didn't have a choice one way or the other.

"I'm not sure. It's like I can't control myself, or something."

"Well, what are you thinking about right now?"

"You."

"Was that an impulse?"

"Not at all. I'm always thinking about you."

Katara felt her cheeks burn once again and looked away.

"That's... probably the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me."

--

A few hours went by before Appa landed on his own accord. It was a small isle in the middle of the ocean.

Sokka and Toph woke up at the exact same time, and after their initial good-morning-still-not-quite-awake-to-notice-what's-going-on reaction, the fight broke out. They were screaming half incoherently about personal boundaries and sleeping space. Toph even screeched something about 'him having a girlfriend and how dare he betray her by making time with his best friend', which only caused the couple of the group to burst out laughing.

Sokka declared they were no longer on speaking terms, but they were laughing and eating around the campfire together less than a half hour after that proclamation.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! And when Combustion Man blew himself to pieces! That was awesome. Ahh. Good times, good times."

When Sokka was through, Toph turned to Aang.

"So... We never heard the story."

He was obviously confused, for he raised an eyebrow. As if she _could _see, Toph answered his question with another question.

"What happened in the palace, Twinkletoes? How'd you beat Ozai?"

"Yeah, Aang, what happened?" demanded Sokka. Katara just looked to him hopefully.

"Well... I'm not entirely sure. I remember he was saying things. About the air nomads and what happened... to them. I just... I didn't want to... to kill him. I thought maybe we could settle something. But I thought about... well, um..." He glanced at Katara, then to the ground.

"He threatened to kill everyone I loved. He said if I tried to stop him, he'd get rid of anything that mattered to me... I... he made me so angry. I-I don't know. I just exploded, I guess. But he got me, too. At the same time, I think. I don't really know how he died. I-I think I was in the Avatar State. But...

"I guess I realized if I didn't do something, he'd win. And if I did, he still would. So... I took my chances. I wasn't going to stand down and leave without a fight." The Avatar shook his head as if shaking off a bad memory. "I did what I had to. I had to... to protect... you guys."

There were tears in his eyes, and immediately, his friends were around him. Sokka, Toph, Katara.

"Aang..." Katara started, "You... you don't have to say anything. It's okay. Shh..."

"Yeah, Aang. It's alright. I'm sorry I brought it up," said the earthbender, Sokka nodding with her words.

The four released the group hug, but Katara stayed by his side to rock him softly and wipe away his tears.

"Sorry," he whispered and leaned on her chest, staring into the campfire.

"Aang, there's no need to be sorry. We understand." She paused and looked down at him fondly. "Was this another impulse?"

He laughed, but shook his head. The comment knocked him out of his memories of the past and guided him back to himself. Sokka was pleased, but wondered how she was always able to do that.

--

"Promise me something," Toph said that night after Aang and Katara had already fallen asleep.

Sokka gazed at her. "Okay."

"Promise that whatever happens, good or bad, we'll always be best friends. Promise me that no matter the circumstance, we'll never grow apart."

The water tribe warrior smiled weakly and nodded.

"Always."

"Always," she repeated.

There was a quiet moment that passed between the two as the beating of the Avatar and the waterbending master's hearts flooded their ears.

"You're going home after this?" Toph asked in a low whisper.

Sokka shrugged.

"Well, we're going to Kyoshi first. I... need to see Suki."

"You need to? Or you _want_ to?"

Sokka looked to his sister resting soundly in her sleeping bag, to Aang, on Appa's tail, and back at his best friend.

"I need to," he declared.

"Why?"

"Because I need to know what I feel. I need to know if this is going to work. I... I want to settle down."

"With her?" Toph didn't even realize she asked it until Sokka answered.

"Maybe."

Toph's voice caught in her throat, but she managed one last question. "Do you love her?"

"Yes."

--

The gaang had less than two days of flight time before they made it to the city of Run Shu. Then, one more day of flying south and they'd be in Gaoling. Toph was worried to see her parents for the first time since she ran away, but she wished dearly they'd forgive her, understand and move on. Hopefully it wasn't too much to ask.

Sokka was simply stressed. He wouldn't see his best friend again for who knew how long, and he was off to reunite with his girlfriend. But, there was something wrong. Surely something wrong. With either their bond or Suki herself. Most likely both. Sokka could feel this and it constantly drove him up the wall.

Aang and Katara were just living life in the moment. They were happier than ever. Anyone who came across their path when they were together couldn't be unhappy. Even Toph was a bit bubbly around them.

Aang and Toph were also closer than ever. The earthbender used him like a shrink and threw all her feelings out there when she was alone with him. Aang, being the person he is, was sympathetic with her and tried to help her through everything. Her nerves directed at the cause of her parents, her anger at Sokka, but yet her love for Sokka as well. To make it simple, Sokka came up a lot.

Toph was a bit unstable. She was confused and angry and depressed, but she managed to hide it well.

"I'm sorry I keep doing this to you," she said, shifting her eyes to the ground, "It's... well, I can't tell Sokka. Obviously. And I don't trust Katara..." she clasped her hand over her mouth. "Oh, please don't tell her I said that!"

Aang shook his head. "Whatever you tell me, is not being relayed to anyone. Not even Katara. You have my word."

"Really?" Toph fingered her chin while she thought. "Even if I talked about her? Badly?"

He nodded softly and smiled.

"Toph, I love her. I really, _really_ do. But I love you, too. Whatever you say will not be heard by anyone else unless it comes out of your mouth. I swear on my position as the Avatar."

Toph chuckled.

"Y'know, that's kinda creepy."

"What is?" he asked, knitting his eyebrows together.

"That you love me. That's just... weird."

Aang rolled his eyes.

"As a _friend_, Toph. As a _friend_."

"Yeah... okay."

The airbender narrowed his eyes. Why couldn't she just understand instead of twisting everything the wrong way? He was helping her here!

"Toph... you know what I'm saying is true." He sighed, "I love Katara. I'll _always _love Katara. She's my entire life. Tell me I'm lying. Please, humor me."

"In the name of Ozai! I was just messing with you, Twinkletoes. You don't have to get all defensive."

"I wasn't getting defensive. I was telling the truth."

"Trust me," she hissed, "I feel enough vibrations from you two to know you're telling the truth. Thank the spirits my last few days with you guys is in the air where I don't have to see it all. But hearing it is equally as bad..." She made a disgusted sound and a fake shiver to prove her point. Aang continued to glare at her as a blush settled on his cheeks.

"What'd'you mean 'hearing it'?"

Aang shifted uncomfortably as he sat.

"Do I have to spell it out for you? I don't know what on earth you do to her, but she makes whatever it is sound really good. It's absolutely disgusting." Then she added in a smaller voice, "And I swear if you say you didn't notice that, I'll have to amputate something."

"Okay, okay, _okay._ Can we stop talking about this? I thought we were talking about you?"

She smirked as she felt the immense amount of blood in his cheeks float off in heat waves.

"Oh, we _were_, but it's so much more fun to make you squirm."

"Then I guess we're done here, huh?"

"But Aang..." She made a suggestive moan and fluttered her eyelids. "I didn't get my kiss."

His mouth turned to a hard line.

"Right. I'll just go get Sokka and tell him how you're talking about me and his sister. I'm sure he'll _love _that enough to give you a kiss."

"Hey," she shrugged, "You're the one who does it to her."

"Toph!"

"What?"

"Stop making it sound like kissing is such a horrible deed! Geez!"

Toph scoffed. "Oh, that's what you were doing? I always though kissing was like this:" She puckered her lips and kissed into the air. "This," she continued and opened her mouth as wide as she could while lolling her tongue around, "is sucking face. Get it straight."

"I... what?! We never..."

"Make all the excuses you want. I'm waiting."

The Avatar growled and clenched his hands into fists. He breathed in slowly and released his anger on the exhale.

"You don't have to be so rude, you know."

"I know. I just do it 'cuz I _love _you." She crossed her arms. "Sounds weird, doesn't it?"

"Hmm. Well, the way you said it made it sound like you're _in _love with me."

Toph shook her head.

"You can't just throw the 'L' word out there, Twinkletoes. Then, when you say it to Katara it's not as meaningful!"

He shrugged and nodded. "I guess you're right."

"Oh look, another young mind molded to the ways of society. Great joy. Now can we _please_ get some food? I'm starving."

"No wonder you like Sokka. You're _exactly_ like him."

"Hey!" she stabbed him with her pointer finger, "Did I give you permission to compare me with people?"

Aang shook his head.

"Didn't think so."

* * *

_A/N: _Yay! Taang friendship. Fun, fun stuff. But Taang isn't a ship here, so if you're looking for it, go somewhere else. :P

Well, if you haven't already, go vote on my profile for Sokka's ship! Thanks, and please review!

-Katara


	14. Good At Everything

**Book One: The Oracle**

**Chapter Fourteen: Good At Everything**

* * *

_A/N: _Alright, know this - Aang is thirteen, right? I believe his instructors taught him all the things about anatomy, probably at a fairly young age (since as a monk it's not really needed, but I suppose it's nice to know how your body works and they require this knowledge to become in tune with nature or whatever mumbo-jumbo). I don't believe he knows the term 'sleeping with someone' in the context of anything other than actually going to sleep with them, though. Hopefully this clears up anything about the 'slept with Katara' line near the beginning of this chapter and why he's not blushing while thinking about it. Thank you (and be mature. ;P).

On another note, and also along the lines of Aang, I don't see Aang as much of a perv. I mean, we can't deny that every guy thinks about that stuff (hell, _everyone _does), but Aang wouldn't be looking at Katara and thinking: 'I wanna tap that'. It just doesn't seem to fit. -.-

Finally, I warned you this would mostly be senseless fluff! But this chapter is so . . . short! Guh.

That is all.

RandomWarning: Lol! I put the adoption thing in here! :D My bologna has a first name, it's double A-N-G. My bologna has a second name it's B-E-I F-O-N-G. I love to eat it every day and if you ask me why I'll saaaay . . . 'cuz cannibalism has a way with bologna!

Jeni27: Toph must ruin everything . . . but she gets better. Ish. You could say Aang 'tames her over time.' She just learns he's a good guy who deserves respect.

Mr.Kataang: I'm glad it's enjoyable. I'm sorry this chapter is so short. I'll make it up in the next one.

Sokkas Instincts 2: Y'know, I was never really partial to _To Kill A Mockingbird. _The book was alright, but the play was horrible. I see what you mean, though.

Water and Air: Thanks for reviewing! Thank you so much.

lorelessbison: Thank you.

_This chapter is dedicated to XxFaithXxHopeXxLoveXx777. Keep it up, girl!_

_Disclaimer: _I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

* * *

"Aang..." Toph said his name desperately, the one word weak off her tongue. He opened his eyes, but didn't drop his body posture from the meditation pose he was in. They were in Toph's room as she packed, for Sokka was packing his own things and Aang was finished. Katara made her way to the market of Run Shu merely ten minutes earlier to pick up some things Aang would actually eat. The airbender in question decided to tag along, but was told to help Toph instead. What help she needed was unclear to Aang, since the blind girl managed more than enough on her lonesome.

"What is it?" he asked softly, watching her hastily fold a deep green shirt before stuffing it in her pack.

She reached out for her meteorite bracelet on the bed and fastened it on her upper arm. "It's just... what if my parents are mad at me?" She placed one more article of clothing in before pushing her hand down inside to stuff everything. "What if they don't want me back? Or if they forbid me from seeing you guys again?"

The earthbender slung the green bag over her right shoulder and straightened it on her hip before reaching a hand out to Aang. He took it and stood, offering a hug that she immediately accepted.

"Toph, your parents are going to take you back. They really love you. And if they don't allow you to see us, I'll make it happen one way or another. It'll be okay." He smiled at her and turned to leave the room, Toph following like a shadow.

The four travellers were permitted a small house which cost a simple fee of 'Look! It's the Avatar!' when they first arrived in Run Shu. It had two bedrooms, a small living room and a bathroom. Aang was a little angry people kept giving him things instead of making him work like the rest of the world, but Katara soothed him.

Soon after it was time for bed. Sokka insisted Aang camp out with him in the front room, and after the airbender denied two times, Sokka finally convinced him. They used Katara and Sokka's sleeping bags, and because Katara's smelled exactly like her, Aang slept incredibly well. Probably the best he ever had.

Scratch that. The second best.

He'd never really slept with Katara, but imagined one day doing so. The time on the back of Appa didn't count in his mind (though _that_ was the best sleep he'd ever had) because sitting upright while you sleep isn't the most comfortable thing in the world.

Aang, after making it to the living room, lounged across the length of the couch. He watched the former Blind Bandit disappear out the door, and minutes later re-enter with a waterbender at her side.

"I don't know," Katara said, obviously in response to Toph. "Oh, hey Aang. I got you peaches, two apples—most of them looked nasty, but I found a few that were okay—and then some watermelon for Appa."

Aang nodded and smiled. "Leche nuts?"

Katara shook her head. "I thought we had some? Momo was eating them earlier. I can go back if we-"

"No, we do. I was just asking."

"Oh, alright." The young waterbender looked around the room and put a hand on her hip. "Where's Sokka?"

"He's packing," Toph offered and Katara shook her head.

"Still?"

The girl in red strode over to the other side of the room and bent over to get Aang's bag. He watched her and remarked how every movement she made was simple, yet precise. Like her element. The curves of her body reflected this conclusion as well and he wondered if he was like his element during every day life.

Aang was pushed out of his thoughts as Katara's door opened and Sokka came into view.

"I heard my name," he fussed.

Katara turned her head and smirked at him before softly setting the grey bag to the left of the front door.

"Put all your stuff over here. We need to check around the house to make sure we're not leaving anything."

Sokka's eyes widened.

"Katara! Now you've jinxed us."

"What?"

The warrior threw his hands up into the air.

"Now we are going to forget something for sure! Check your pants!" He spun around. "Where's my boomerang? Is it gone?!"

"Sokka," Aang murmured, "I put it in my bag, remember?"

Toph shook her head disapprovingly, but smiled. He was_ so_ weird. Why did she love him again?

"How am I related to you? You are so dense," said Katara, putting a hand on her hip.

Toph rolled her eyes. "Katara, you shouldn't be talking. You-"

"Toph," Aang scolded.

The blind earthbender faced him and lowered her head, a smile coming onto her lips. He raised an eyebrow at her innocent look. It was scary coming from her, but he laughed anyway. She shifted her eyes at Katara, but shrugged, nodding shortly after. She could spare her a sarcastic comment for the moment. At least, for Aang.

He beamed at her, getting the message clear as a bell and wished she could see the delight on his face. If he could cease the fighting between one of his best friends and the girl he loved most, that would make things a lot easier.

Now, stopping the sibling rivarly was impossible. He knew _that_ much.

"Whoa," stated Sokka, looking back and forth at Aang and Toph. "Is there something going on between you two that I should know?"

There was silence as the three benders exchanged glances of hurt, confusion and all together disgust.

"No!" they shouted at Sokka, glad they could agree on something.

He put his hands up in defeat, but Toph's cheeks flared in anger. Sure, it was nice to have Aang. Great, actually. He was really helpful and an excellent listener. But no. No, no, no, no, _no._

Technically, he was an orphan of sorts. Maybe her parents could adopt him so they'd be siblings.

But Katara'd probably end up marrying the love sick puppy someday, which would make Sokka her brother-in-law... she shivered at the thought.

Katara looked at Aang, her face quizzical and her eyebrows knit expertly in the center of her forehead. The airbender shook his head. She took his word for it and her face softened.

Sokka broke the silence.

"Alright," he said, rubbing his hands together, "Next stop, Gaoling! Let's go."

The foursome picked up their things and shuffled outside where they climbed on the large bison and settled in. Sokka took the reins and they head off, _again_, into the clouds.

"Sorry about that," Toph breathed with a sigh. "He's such a meathead."

Katara nodded.

"Well, you are what you eat..." She stopped and looked out to the open sky. "What was that all about, anyway?"

"What was what?" asked Aang.

"The silent communication thing."

Aang shrugged. "She just made a face. And it was funny," he clarified.

There was a small pause.

"It seemed to be more than that."

Aang looked at her and Toph smirked.

"Katara... you're not jealous, are you?"

"N-no. Of course not!"

Aang leaned in close to her, placing his face near the side of hers.

"Well, I think it's cute," he purred before kissing her cheek.

Toph giggled, causing Aang to look her way. The Avatar's lips lingered over his lovers skin, but he glanced sideways at his earthbending friend just in time for her to mouth the word: _'Noises'_. He blushed fiercely, glad Katara was closing her eyes so she didn't catch it.

Katara slowly turned to face him and opened her eyes a minimal amount, enjoying the feeling of his lips grazing her flesh. He shifted his gaze back to her and pressed his soft lips upon hers, skimming his tongue across them. He blushed when he noticed Toph still staring at them, and though she was blind, it was as annoying and eerie as it would've been if she wasn't.

Aang withdrew from their kiss—causing Katara to groan in protest—and listened as Toph snickered under her breath.

"I have a question," Katara proposed. Aang nodded for her to continue.

"Why are you so conviently good at that?"

* * *

_A/N: _The next chapter'll be longer. I promise you. :P

Please review!

-Katara


	15. News Travels Fast

**Book One: The Oracle**

**Chapter Fifteen: News Travels Fast**

* * *

_A/N: _Sorry I'm so late with this. I really didn't mean for that to happen. Go on, I'm ready for the virtual slappage.

There was a lot of... work to do on this chapter. It was truly a task. But, I enjoy the final product. I believe this is a fairly unique idea that not many or maybe none at all have come up with. There's actually a really long explanation to where this idea came from, but let's just say it has something to do with the Oscar Mayor balogna song. I... don't really want to go into details...

But! I swear there shall be Kataang. Yum yum. Kataang is delicious. And we shall encounter the lovely Azula yet again. Eventually. Just read. :P

Randomicity: Ahh! The surgicalness! Noes! But thanks. xD Fluff _is _my element. Fluff equals clouds which equals water and air and finally equates to Kataang and you know how I feel about that.

RandomWarning: Noises... Ahh... Sorry it took so long with the pregnant-you-know-who. She's preggy! Ahhhh! Run from her! It's contagious! -shifty eyes-

Jeni27: Lol! Veggietales? Why?! xD

Glistening blue eyes: Yeah. It would be an interesting idea, but... no.

Sokkas Instincts 2: Y'know? It wasn't even supposed to be funny. It just came out that way. o.O Lols.

ilovekataang: I'm so glad you're enjoying it!

Stargirlrox-hearts-Avatar: Yeah, I don't think I have a black hole of a heart enough to let my own face get stolen by a creepy spirit. :P

Katsumara: Why, thank you!

_This chapter is dedicated to RandomWarning. Here's the rest of the chapter, bebe._

_Disclaimer: _I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

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The trip was long, and annoying, and Appa was _exhausted_. It was like so many other journeys the four—and even three, before Toph tagged along—embarked on. It was strange, everything happening so quickly. The four were words on the wind with their hustled agenda, but when the breeze died down, they floated back to Earth for rest.

So very long ago, the water tribe siblings discovered their young companion was the legendary Avatar. It'd been merely nine months since then, but it might as well be six years in the past. Every day dragged on and on, the end foggy and diluted, undeniably proving 'time flies when you're having fun'. The quest to defeat the Fire Lord was as far from the category _fun_ in the forefront of their minds.

And even though Aang tried his best to ignore the aching feeling in the bottomless pit of his stomach, it would take an excessive amount of self-forgiving—and possibly a few therapy sessions, _not_ from Sokka—to accept the fact that he killed someone. Not only killed, but _murdered_ him in his own home, unsuspecting and unprepared.

The gaang hadn't seen Zuko since the palace battle, but from the information Aang gathered, the firebender seemed to be the happiest when it came to the fall of the ex-Fire Lord. It was fairly sad he wanted his own father off the face of the planet, and though understandable, quite sickening as well. Aang had a lot of respect for his firebending teacher, far more respect than necessary, and was one of the proudest people for Zuko's change of heart. Amoung the people most proud was he, Katara, Iroh, and Zuko's mother. Aang did not know her name, but heard many stories about her devotion to the balance of the world, even with a malevolent dictator as a spouse. The Fire Nation didn't acknowledge the customs of arranged marriages, so how someone like her ended up with someone like Ozai was beyond Aang.

"Hey, Twinkles! You comin' or what?!" asked the voice of Toph, breaking into his reverie.

He sighed.

"I'm coming."

"Get your tiny self off the flying bison before _I_ make it happen!"

Aang rolled his eyes and pulled his pack over his shoulder before leaping into the air and floating down to the ground. Katara shot him an apologetic look and he raised an eyebrow.

"Look, guys. I know you're all tired from flying and stuff, but I'm kinda worried about being here. So, if you don't mind, could we just get this reunion over with?"

Sokka grabbed the blind girl by the arm and tugged her toward the entrance of the house.

"Hey! What're you doing? I wasn't stalling, I was-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he responded.

She ripped her arm from his grasp and straightened her sleeve from wrinkles. The earthbender paused and faced the ground, before taking a large gulp of air and exhaling slowly through her mouth. She turned to Katara.

"Do I look okay?" she asked in a weak, shaky voice.

Katara nodded.

"You look amazing, Toph. Really."

She took a minute to rub her temples before standing up straight and crackling her knuckles.

"Alright. I'm ready," she declared, "...I hope."

Sokka placed an understanding hand upon her shoulder and she sighed. The four began to walk through the gates of the home, and as they approached, Toph became less and less afraid. She rapped three times on the door, causing a near-automatic reaction, and a man dressed in deep green appeared before them.

The man's eyes widened and he rubbed his eyes disbelievingly.

"T-Toph?" he asked, the emotion indistinguishable.

She nodded, but her aura was much easier to read: guilt-laden, almost.

"I'm here to see my parents, Riyou. Let us in."

The man called Riyou scanned over the other three, knitting his brows together.

"Your parents won't allow them, Lady Toph. They are no longer permitted within your humble-"

"Tell my _parents_"—she spat the word—"that we're coming in, and there's nothing they can do to stop us."

The ebony haired girl put a hand on her hip, declaring finality, and stared the servant down until he bowed his head in defeat and turned. A few long minutes passed before he returned, cheeks flushed, forehead wrinkled, and a counter-factual smile on his lips. He made a welcoming gesture with his hand and bowed as he did so, the cheesy smile faltering in the slightest.

"Welcome home," he greeted, sharing a glance with the Avatar as they entered the room. When the children were no longer facing him, he scowled disapprovingly, but followed them in nonetheless.

They passed through a room that seemed to be under heavy remodeling—half the room was painted green, while the other half was sloppily purple, a table had it's drawers out of it (they sat on top), and the carpet was being pulled up near the left hand corner of the room. There were nails sticking out of the wall where pictures used to be, and those pictures were stacked on the floor near the uprooted carpet. Sokka noticed with a quick glance that the top portrait was flipped over, while the others were right side up.

"What's going on in there?" the warrior asked when Riyou entered the hallway.

The servant glanced at him over his shoulder.

"I do not believe it's my right to tell," he mumbled under his breath, taking another quick peak at the boy.

Sokka shrugged it off and stared as two maids strode by them in a rushed gait down the hall.

Riyou proceeded to open the door for the quartet, a large wooden door that Aang remembered fabulously, but noticed it was different somehow. Must be another act of renovation.

The gaang walked inside and stood before Toph's parents. Lao had his chin high as he smiled at his daughter, and Poppy took a haste glance at her husband before standing and rushing to the blind girl. She threw her arms desperately around her, sobbing into her shoulder.

"Toph, I missed you... so... much..." she whispered between sobs. Her mother's hug was light and delicate, limbs barely touching her daughters body.

Toph hugged her back. "It's okay, Mom. I'm here."

"I know, but, but... why'd you leave, Toph? Why? I was such a wreck without you, and, and I..."

Lao cleared his throat loudly and stood from his chair, hands behind his back.

"I believe that's quite enough, dear. She's back and that's all that matters. Riyou, please show the Avatar and his friends out."

"What?" Toph demanded almost instantly. The three froze, staring at Toph's father quizzically. "They're staying, Dad."

He scoffed. "I've already told you, they are not welcome h-"

"_Why_, may I ask, do you think I _left_?!" she squealed at him, breaking her hug from her mother entirely. "You're being controlling and, and overbearing! I survived the _Fire Nation_, I survived _flying bareback_, I survived the largest battle of the century, while I was directly in the _center_ of it! What gives you any right to banish my _friends_—yes, _friends_—from my own spirit forsaken house?!"

"Young lady!" he scolded, "Do not use that kind of language!"

There was a pause as the two stared at each other, and a small voice came from beside Toph.

"Lao. I think you should let the children stay. They've done nothing wrong."

"Thank you, _Mom_," the girl replied, smiling.

Suddenly, her eyebrows knit together and she stared at her mother, confusion bubbling at the surface. The blind girl shifted her feet on the ground and faced the elder woman. It took her a moment of concentrated earthbending to open her mouth in true pandemonium.

"Mom?" she asked quietly, "Mom, what's wrong?" She had a sharp intake of breath as she rose her voice louder, "Oh, my goodness! What's happening?!"

Poppy shook her head.

"What are you talking about, Toph?"

As if ignoring her questioning, she responded, "Mom, are you okay?"

Aang, Katara, and Sokka stood there, puzzled and lost by the conversation entirely.

"Yes, darling, I'm fine. _What_ is going on?"

Toph grabbed the womans hand and placed her fingers to her wrist, breathing in and out quickly in shock.

"Your heartbeat. We need to get you to a doctor! There's something wrong with your heartbeat!"

Poppy turned her head to face Lao, but he simply shrugged. He flicked his hand in front of him and Riyou tapped the trio on the shoulders. They followed him out as they still heard Toph screaming for help.

"What's going on?" asked a worried Sokka, gulping right after.

"I... I don't know," said Riyou.

Back in the main room, it all clicked. The young earthbender gasped and placed a hand on her mothers stomach, realizing it's inflation. Her words came out short and jumbled.

"Mom... you're pregnant?... With a baby?... You're pregnant! There's something wrong with the _baby_!" she exclaimed, the sudden news messing with her brain. She shook her head. She was pregnant? "Mom! We have to get you to a doctor... no! We need Katara! Where'd they go?

"Tell me!" she demanded from her father.

Lao hesitated. "The Carriage House."

She nodded. "Mom, lay down. I'll be right back! Don't move!"

She dashed down the hallway and pushed open a door to find her friends inside. Aang looked up at her expectantly, and Sokka still confused. Toph wrapped her fingers from a single hand around the frame of the doorway in an attempt to compose herself.

"What?" questioned the warrior boy.

"Katara, I need you, quick!"

The waterbender didn't need to be told twice. She stood and hurried out the door.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Toph jogged beside her, scratching her arm in nervousness.

"My mom is pregnant! Can you believe this?"

Katara nodded.

"Well, yeah, she's pregnant."

"You knew?!" Toph exclaimed.

"I thought it was obvious, anyone with eyes can—oh yeah."

Katara blushed. How could she forget...?

"Great going, genius. But there's something wrong with the baby..."

She turned to the blind girl as she slid through the doorway into her parents main room.

"What do you mean?"

"I _mean_," Toph said, emphasizing the word 'mean' sharply, "Well, I don't really know, actually. I was hoping you would know!"

The healer spotted the woman with curly, black hair lying still on the floor with a hand over her stomach. She seemed utterly calm for a pregnant lady with child 'issues'. Katara rushed to her side and grabbed for the skin of water at her hip before falling onto her knees and dropping the pouch. It clattered, but the girl placed her ear on the elder woman's stomach and withdrew the water from the pouch. She did a motion with her fingertips and swirled the liquid onto her hands in a quick motion, causing them to turn florescent blue.

"What's going on?" Poppy asked softly, pulling her hands from her abdomen and placing them on the ground to give the healer a wider range of access.

Katara closed her eyes and focused in on the vitals of the unborn child, feeling for its heart, breathing pattern, formation, abnormalities and blood flow.

"The child is under stress..." she trailed off, moving her right hand lower and the left higher.

"Bend your left knee and tilt your torso to the right, please."

She did what was asked of her and continued to stare up at the Water Tribe girl.

"This won't hurt, but you're going to feel pressure and straining," the girl warned.

Toph heard the footsteps of Sokka and Aang shuffling into the room as well. The airbender had concern in his eyes, as did Sokka, but his was muffled by exhaustion.

"Is Katara okay?" Aang asked frantically, drifting his eyes to the two forms in the center of the room and wavering over them before finding Toph's father looking confused in his fancy chair.

"Is your _mom _okay?" Sokka questioned in a tone ment for correction. He rolled his eyes at the Avatar.

Toph nodded, but didn't speak. The shock of this news was still settling in. How did this happen?! Well, she knew _how_ it happened, but _why_? She couldn't picture herself as anything other than an only child. Her sister... and/or brother, might make her go soft. She'd worked too hard to be the way she was for that.

This little monster was going to ruin her life! How dare it—No, how dare her _parents_ do this to her!

She heard her mother gasp and Katara mumble an apology.

"Oh, you're fine, sweety. The baby kicked."

She felt Katara nod quickly and shift her hands again.

"Does this hurt?" she questioned, pressing into the divot above her hip.

Poppy shrugged. "I can feel pressure, but no pain."

"Good..."

The waterbender turned Poppy's body and put her hand under her back, forcing it to arch slightly.

"Where do you feel it?"

Toph's mother placed her hand in the upper center of her chest and nodded.

"There."

This time, Katara smiled and removed her hands from the woman's body. She stood and turned around, waving Aang over.

"Help me lift her up," she said, continuing to smile softly at her boyfriend.

The two—with a little boost from airbending—managed to lift the pregnant woman. She put one hand on her temple, and the other instinctively on her enlarged belly. It took her a moment to get out of her daze, but she finally opened her eyes and smiled with Katara.

"How are you feeling?" Katara asked the woman.

"Well, I didn't even know there was anything wrong in the first place. I see now that I was mistaken. It feels like an entire ton was lifted from my back. May I ask what you've done?"

The healer placed a hand on the mother's shoulder. She pointed at a place on her belly to indicate of where she spoke.

"The baby's head and body were being twisted in an unusual way, cutting off circulation. I had to shift your child so the blood could flow normally. If Toph hadn't sensed this with her earthbending and alerted me right away, it could've died within a few hours."

Poppy concealed a gasp by placing her palm over her opened mouth. Her eyes shifted from Katara and to her husband, then to her stomach, and finally on her teenage daughter. Toph seemed agitated, and proved this emotion by blowing a gust of air into her ebony bangs, causing them to drift upward and lay back on her face. She had her arms crossed, and Poppy debated what to do. She wanted to hug her baby girl, but currently felt the wind knocked out of her. She was even at a lack for words.

"Thank you..." she managed, tears stinging her eyes, "All of you... So much."

Lao bit his lip.

"I suppose, I owe you an apology," Toph's father said, his first words since the young earthbender's reaction to her eventually-to-be-sibling. "I'm not sure how to say sorry. And I'm not sure how to show you my utmost appreciation for what you have done. I've been foolish." He looked at Aang and opened his mouth, searching for the right words. "I... I believe I overreacted. I understand the severity that was the quest to end this war. No amount of gratitude can be paid to you for doing so."

The man sighed. He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully as he began to drum his fingertips against each other.

"I believe since there seems no way to pay you in gratitude for _all_ that you have done, we will pay you in something more... tangible."

Aang shook his head.

"Oh, no, no, sir. It was no big deal. Really. You don't have to-"

"But, I insist. And you," he declared, pointing to Katara, "For saving my child's life."

She shook her head as well, about to protest, but he merely continued. "You." This time Sokka was picked out of the three. "You saved my daughter's life."

The warrior raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Oh, I didn't do anything in keeping your kid alive. That was Katara." He raised his hand to gesture to his sister.

He was cut off.

"Not my child. My daughter. My precious angel. You've protected her this entire time and kept her from a terrible death in the Fire Nation."

Sokka was bewildered.

"What? How did you-"

"My dear boy," Lao said, halting his words once more, "You've been travelling with the Avatar, correct? You out of all people should know news travels fast. I hear things. Do not be under the impression that I know so little."

Sokka nodded, a bit confused, but if this guy was talking cold, hard cash, confusion was the farthest from his mind.

"Now, you all should get a good nights rest. You've done a lot for us. More than you will ever know."

The four attempted to make their way out when Lao spoke again.

"Wait," he demanded. They naturally turned their heads. "Toph, your mother and I would like to talk to you."

Poppy was already back in her seat and when Katara caught her eye, she mouthed a 'thank you'. The teen bowed her head and smiled, soon being pulled out of the room by the warmth of Aang's hand.

As the three followed Riyou down the hallway for what seemed like the dozenth time that day, Sokka whispered under the ear of the Bei Fong servant.

"Not to be rude, but I think Mr. Fancypants has a personality defect or something."

Katara giggled at the stupidity of her brother. Though, he did have a point. Toph's dad seemed to switch in and out of moods at random.

"Well, at least we're not banished from the house any more," Aang offered in an optimistic tone.

"Aaand, we're getting paid for our good deeds."

Aang looked at the ground as he walked.

"I'm sick of people giving me things. It's my _job_ to do those types of things for the world. What's the big deal?"

"Aang," Sokka said, practically pleading now, "First of all, what is the main point of a job? To get paid! Being the Avatar isn't volunteer work. It's slavery! The _least_ they can do is pay you. Secondly, you gotta let life come to you. And, if life decides to do _just that_ in the form of shiny gold pieces, how can you turn it down? That's like _you_ turning down _Katara_."

Aang winced and grunted under his breath.

"Do _not_compare Katara to money!" he spat through his teeth.

Katara squeezed his hand.

"It's okay, Aang."

"What?! Why?" asked Sokka. "Isn't she good enough? Money is shiny, and useful, and buys stuff. I see nothing wrong with that."

The younger boy shot a sideways glance at him.

"It's not that she isn't good enough. It's that gold isn't. Katara isn't just "shiny" and "useful" and for your premium shopping needs. Nor mine."

Sokka rolled his eyes as Riyou disappeared into a room. The warrior boy shrugged and followed, just in time to hear Riyou sigh heavily.

"Here's the first room. Your room, Master Sokka."

"Oh, _spirits,_ tell me you're not putting _them_ in the same room."

The duo blushed thoroughly and exchanged a glance before hearing Riyou's response.

"Do not worry, Master Sokka. That would be very immature of me. I would only do so on account of a married couple."

At this, the benders only found more heat rush to their cheeks.

"Thank goodness," Sokka said, crawling onto the bed. He shrouded himself in covers and began pulling out his 'wolf's tail' when Riyou closed the door on him.

The servant walked the two in silence to the next room. It looked the exact same as the other, but the furniture was placed a bit differently. Otherwise, it was just green, green, green.

"This room is for you, Lady Katara," Riyou drawled in a monotone voice. He stood at the door and yawned while the two shared their good nights.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Katara whispered into his ear as she pulled him into a hug. When they departed, Aang gave her a small peck on the side of her mouth and trailed his hands down her side. The waterbender's eyes grew heavy enough to flutter in a daze as she slowly began backing up. The Avatar held her hand until the length of their distance was longer than their arms allowed.

"Good night. I love you," he said quietly.

"Love you, too."

They smiled at each other and Riyou led the Avatar from the room, closing the door. He was brought to yet another guest room.

"Sleep well, Avatar Aang," the servant said, exiting his bedroom.

Aang crawled into bed, more content then ever, as he began to dream about days to come.

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_A/N: _That chapter was surely a chore. But it came out well, I believe. Almost double the last chapter in size, too. I'm trying to make them longer and longer, without having to go weeks on end without an update. Once again, I apologize for that! Please, don't yell at me! -whimper-

-Katara


	16. The Future

**Book One: The Oracle**

**Chapter Sixteen: The Future**

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_A/N: _Ahh... nightmares. Terrific aren't they? Hopefully this isn't too confusing. It's not supposed to be. Pretty much, Katara's just having issues because her nightmare seemed so real! Though the reason her dream seems so vivid is because... maybe the spirits are trying to tell her something. -wink- (Does anyone remember the other nightmare she had? Well, there will be more...) Remember my motto: Everything has a reason and there's a reason for everything!

And... um... I'm not gonna respond to reviews anymore. I don't really see a need to. If you're really having an issue with something, or you have a question, save it for a PM. ;) Thank you, thank you, _thank you!_ To everyone!

_This chapter is dedicated to lorelessbison. Thank you for sticking around and sharing your kind words._

_Disclaimer: _I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

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_The walls, white. Stained with purity, cursed with temptation. The shine of them caused her to squint, peering through her drooped eyelashes as the paint thickened around her, forcing the vast room to lose proximity. The ceiling of red slithered down the perfect white canvas, entrapping her in the color she loathed for far too long._

_Darkness—a frightening veil of darkness._

_Chill—the air of frost nipping her exposed flesh._

_And a voice. That voice of equal darkness and equal chill. The voice that managed to scare her into oblivion. The voice she never wanted to hear again._

_"Where's your savior, little girl?"_

_She opened her mouth to speak, but the intake of oxygen left her throat bare and brittle._

_"I know, I know!" she mocked in that child like sing-song voice._

_Katara grimaced._

_"It's your fault he's dead. Doesn't it hurt to come to terms with this?"_

_The waterbender brought her eyes on the blood colored floor. The shimmer was gone. The antiquity disheveled. The pureness dissolved._

_She could feel the wetness in her eyes as she crossed her arms over her center, taking in a cold, painful breath._

_"What a tragic story. Your love, his demise." She laughed with a passion. A passion for herself and no other. A selfish cackle._

_The girl with eyes of blue found herself on the floor. She sobbed deeply into her arms, the tears quickly turning to ice._

_--_

Katara shot up from the pillow. Her breathing tried to slow down from its quickened pace, but she found this impossible until she placed a hand on her head and pressed softly into it.

She looked around the room, noticing the dim sunlight streaming through the window and the shadows dancing on the walls by cause of a still lit candle. The nightmare was etched deeply into the forefront of her mind and no matter how much she wanted to forget, the words replayed over and over again.

_"What a tragic story. Your love, his demise."_

She found herself swallowing hard and hastily pulling back the covers. She slid out of bed, marched for the door and twisted the handle, but soon remembered the importance of clothing. Though her swimming bandages were perfectly fine, it seemed a bit informal in the household of the Bei Fongs.

The water tribe girl turned and searched for her discarded Fire Nation clothing, only to find the once piled clothes in a neatly folded bundle on the dresser. Besides this was an _also_ neatly folded bundle of _green _clothing. She approached the two sets of attire and pulled the green off to place on her bed, her curiosity kicking in. The deep colored regalia was swiftly pulled upward, revealing a small, creased paper attached to the collar of the kimono.

After removing it, she unfolded the sheet of parchment and read.

_Katara,_

_Good morning. Come to the dinning room for breakfast._

_I do hope you'll wear this. Well, unless you don't want to. But, I believe you'll like it._

_I love you._

_-Aang_

She smiled as she set the note on the bureau, slid the kimono as quickly as she could manage over her head, and fumbled with her hair, maneuvering out the door. Riyou opened his mouth to speak a humble good morning, but soon changed his words as he realized where she was headed.

"Avatar Aang is not in his room, Lady Katara," the servant informed with leisure, "He's having breakfast."

Katara rolled her eyes as she sighed at her own stupidity. Of course he wasn't in his room. Didn't she _just_ read that?

The girl mumbled a thank you and turned on her heel to go the opposite way, soon turning around _again _to face Riyou.

"Where, exactly, is the dinning room?" she asked, blushing faintly. The house seemed so much larger than it was when she first entered it, but Katara felt the excuse was still a bit embarrassing.

"At the end of the hallway on the right," he instructed, nodding. "I will be joining you for service once Master Sokka awakens."

Katara thanked him for the final time and walked quickly down the hallway, skimming her eyes over pictures on the wall. When she got to the entrance of the kitchen she noticed it was opened. She could see Aang inside. Just knowing he was really there eased her conscience and her heartbeat immediately slowed to a natural pace.

_It was just a dream... just a dream..._

The boy she was previously so worried about was talking to a woman_—_probably in her mid-twenties_—_with her hair pinned back into a simple bun and a plain servants outfit.

The waterbender watched the boy as he sat straighter in his chair and mumbled something. The woman beside him shook her head and leaned in to take his plate, but Aang grabbed her arm.

"I can get that. Really! You must do a lot around here, and I don't want you to-"

"Avatar Aang... you need to stop worrying about me. I am supposed to do this. The Bei Fongs treat me quite well, and I take pleasure in aiding the savior of... well_—_the entire world. Do not insist on doing things for yourself when others are offering themselves to you." She pulled her arm from his grasp and Aang leaned onto the table with his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"It's not a problem at all. Is there anything else I can get you, sir?"

The airbender sighed. "Not me, but... could you get Katara something? I want her food to be ready when she wakes up."

At these words, the servant regarded the blue eyed girl in the doorway, causing a smirk to reach her.

"Of course."

_...Just a dream..._

Katara's eyes followed the woman until she was out of sight and placed them again on Aang. He seemed severely stressed, and though she could only see the backside of him, she knew that was never a good sign. The water tribe girl walked slowly and silently up behind him, startling him as she placed her hands on his shoulders. She could feel him jump before he turned his head, smiling at her presence.

"Good morning," she whispered, pecking him on the cheek and taking a seat beside him. Aang's vision remained on her as his face released the previous emotions and brought a sparkle to his gray eyes. A smile that hovered on his lips seemed to seep into her as well, the severe bliss staining her mood.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked him, reaching for his hand. He looked down at his fingers interlacing with hers, but drifted back to the whole of her soon after.

"The beginning."

The simple statement could mean many things; the beginning of time, when Aang was told of being the Avatar_, _the beginning of the end of the war—even the start of the war. But, for them, it was clearer than day itself.

The day Aang was freed from the iceberg was his beginning. The real beginning. Everything before that—though it seemed like a test, or possibly just a warm-up—no longer mattered to him. Of course he would remember it, but it wasn't something to fret over anymore. What was done, was done, and if Aang was truly honest with himself, he would be entirely impressed with his younger, naive form.

"We've come a long way," she said, nodding her head with the memories replaying in her mind's eye.

"Much farther than I could've dreamed," he agreed.

The airbender brought their hands to his lips and pressed the center of the back of hers against them, the chastity of his kiss sending a pink hue to her face. She let his breath hover over the back side of her palm, and in a tender movement, he caressed her hand against his cheek.

As if afraid of being caught in some sort of scandalous act, he dropped their limbs at the sound of Sokka's voice. Katara's eyes fluttered open—unsure when they closed—but caught Aang's eyes once more.

"Any type I want?!" Sokka boomed, entering the dinning room. The duo could almost hear the salivation in the warrior's voice.

"Yes," Riyou complied, an excessive amount of annoyance in his.

To Katara's chagrin, her elder brother began to ask for a helping of food even he couldn't—oh, who was she kidding? He could eat anything.

Just as Riyou left for the kitchen, the woman from earlier re-entered, setting a bowl on the table before Katara.

"So... Sokka," Aang said quietly, nodding to the black haired woman, but unsure what to talk about. His mind seemed to never stray from the beautiful girl beside him. Though, before they admitted their love for each other, it rarely wandered from her, anyway...

"Mm?" he questioned, gazing inquisitively at Katara as she ate.

"Do you... like Katara's new dress?"

"Dress?" Sokka scanned the green kimono his sister wore and locked eyes suspiciously with Aang. "No."

"No?"

"No," he stated non-chalantly.

Katara, now intrigued with Sokka's blatantly rude comment, stopped eating to glare at him.

"Why not?" asked the Avatar, looking at the waterbender, but making sure his orbs didn't stray too far or for too long.

Sokka smacked his lips thoughtfully.

"New dresses cost money. Money equals substance required to buy things and such. Therefore, I don't—Katara, what _are_ you eating?"

Before she had the chance to answer with a sarcastic comment about Sokka's obsession with food, Toph made her presence known.

The Bei Fong's eldest child yawned nosily and strode into the dinning room. She plopped down in the chair at the head of the table. After flinging her feet atop the smooth, wooden table, she snapped her fingers, breathed something about being hungry, and folded her arms neatly across her chest. The girl yawned again, groaning soon after. Her snazzy appearance had the other three staring at her, intrigued with the lack of knowledge from the night before.

"What?" she asked, as if feeling their eyes upon her.

The three exchanged hidden words, but said nothing for a moment's time.

"What did your parents want last night?" Sokka asked quietly, bracing himself by holding the table. The girl shrugged and snapped her fingers twice as loudly as she could.

Riyou rushed from the kitchen and to her side.

"Yes, Lady Toph?"

She closed her eyes and relaxed a little. Her companions could see the reclination in her posture before she was fully unwound.

"The usual, Riyou."

The unruffled servant slinked from the room. Toph didn't move from her snug position, but only rubbed her eye while crackling the knuckles on her left hand.

"They told me if I stayed here they'd give me full 'reigns'"—with this, air quotes were used—"when it came to earthbending. They said I could go to school if I wanted to or whatever... That if I wasn't too rebellious, I could see you guys when I felt like it and blah-dee-blah-dee-blah."

Aang's eyes lit up to intensify the already-present sparkle.

"Toph, that's great!"

She nodded. "I suppose."

"Why... Why don't you seem happy?" asked Sokka.

The earthbender eyed him with unseeing eyes, a glare he found highly degrading, and brought his shoulders to his neck defensively.

"_Because_, I'm going to have a little brother."

Katara picked up a napkin from the table and dabbed at her mouth. She let Toph's words sink in.

"How do you know it's a boy?" she asked, quite interested.

"_Because_, only a _boy _would be so inconsiderate to steal my status as an only child away from me," Toph chided sinisterly. Her mouth formed a hard line, and her three dear friends could only feel—if only a little—for her and her unborn sibling. Was it normal for such a young being to hate her own blood so much? A poor innocent heartbeat who hasn't even had the chance to live yet?

"Toph, I really don't think it was his choice to be conceived. You're not being-"

"Look, Katara! I don't want to talk to you, okay? Just let me sit here and wait for my breakfast in peace. The tiny bit of peace I get in the aftermath of this war before my little monster of a brother arrives." There was a short pause. "The future is going to be horrible, isn't it?"

Katara dropped her head and opened her mouth to say something, deciding against it. She didn't want to fight with Toph and she didn't want to leave Toph on a bad note either. The young girl somehow or another managed to trigger the nightmare in Katara's head to play over again. She saw the red slide down the walls. She felt Azula's breath on her neck, slithery and vicious and disgusting. This wasn't something she wanted to talk about.

With this conclusion in mind, she removed herself from the large wooden chair and walked out of the door, layers of water building atop her eyes. Aang tilted his head at the earthbender, thinking she was the source of Katara's abrupt departure, then raised his eyebrows in question at Sokka.

The warrior boy scoffed slightly under his breath.

"Go talk to her. There's no point denying how much you want to."

At the very moment Sokka finished his sentence, Aang was out of his seat and meandering after Katara. He knocked on her door twice, and when no response came from within, the airbender opened it cautiously. He entered the quaint room, orbs of sight finding his waterbender on the ground with her arms around her knees. A single tear ran down her face, but she ignored it completely as she stared at the stone floor.

Aang rushed to her and fell to his knees, scrambling to get her into his arms. He held her like a delicate flower, arms around her body as she melted within his warmth.

"What happened?" he asked her prudently. She sighed before snuggling into his chest. The girl pulled her body flush to his, forcing him against the juncture of the wall and the bed.

"I'm just... scared," she admitted in a small voice.

The young Avatar regarded this before choosing his words wisely.

"Don't be afraid, I'm right here..."

"I know..." she mumbled. Katara leaned against his chest and felt his heartbeat in her ear. She felt the liquid in her eyes again and tried with all her might to keep them back before they fell. Her efforts were to no avail, however, as a single tear collapsed on the Avatar's knee and he stared at it thoughtfully. The boy brought one of the hands binding her against him to her chin and forced her to look at him, placing a pure kiss upon her lips.

She looked at him as he pulled away and felt his hand drift back to its place upon her stomach.

"What's wrong, Katara?" Aang questioned, rocking her gently.

She took a deep breath in. Then out.

"Things are going to be so much different, now," she declared, giving one curt nod, "We've always thought of the end of Ozai and the end of the war as one entity, but they aren't! Does no one realize what could happen? Do you not think about the rebellions that could occur or even the fact that _Azula_ could occur? I didn't even notice her escape and-"

"Katara-"

"-she could be anywhere right now! Maybe she's in disguise as some earth kingdom citizen to hunt us down! I've been having nightmares and-"

"Katara!"

"What?"

He smiled at her and kissed the top of her head, trying to ease her frantic mind.

"I'm going to deal with Azula. Don't worry about it, okay? I'll keep you safe. She isn't going to lay a finger on you. Nor Toph, or Sokka, or any other innocent person in this world ever again." He paused and eyed her, his smile drooping slightly. "Why didn't you tell me you were having nightmares? And where did this thought even come from?"

The girl found the ground again and stared at it intensely, sinking into her lover once again.

"Toph was talking about how the baby was going to change her life, and I guess I just started thinking about change and how the end of this war was supposed to change everyone... but it just doesn't feel... over, yet."

He nodded in understanding and they sat there together on the ground, thoughts swirling around their heads.

Things _were_ supposed to be different.

Katara _did _feel changed, and Aang definitely _was_ changed. War didn't mar him like she expected it to. It made him stronger and braver and more lively than before.

To make things literal—it matured him.

"I don't plan on staying home," she said after a while, casting him from his mind. "I know you would like that, so I never face Azula, but I'm not staying." The water tribe girl trailed her fingertips slowly down the arrow on his arm, raising the hair where she touched.

"Uh—What do you mean?" he asked in response, feeling a bit constrained by her flirtatious actions.

Katara closed her eyes. A part of her wanted him to figure it out on his own, but _she_ brought it up. She might as well answer his question.

"I've been gone from home for a year now, Aang. I'm going back to catch up with Gran-Gran, see dad for a little... maybe even spend some time with my new grandfather. But after everything settles down, I want there to still be an 'us'. Wherever you go and whatever you do, I want to experience it with you."

He stared at her in disbelief as she turned to see his reaction.

"Katara, no matter how much that idea thrills me, you can't really want that, can you?" He shook his head as if answering the question for her. "What about your family?"

"Aang..." she whispered, blushing slightly at the words about to befall from her mouth, "You _are_ my family."

The words were familiar. Something she and Sokka had agreed to so long ago. He was their family.

The first time she claimed him like this, it wasn't anything too complicated. He was a very good friend to her—possibly even a brother figure of sorts. But this—now telling him those words—seemed to have so much hidden meaning behind it. When she pictured her future she saw him. She saw him and Appa and life and air and marriage and _happiness_. She dealt with so much regarding the loss of both her parents, one more than the other, but she knew now that her children wouldn't have to live with the same regrets.

This also managed to scare her. It _scared_ her to know so much of her fantasy life had to do with the boy holding her in his arms. The boy in the iceberg. The Avatar.

It scared her because one person changed her life. This one boy changed the entire world and now, here they were, holding each other like the world depended on them again. She wasn't afraid to think the life before her being dark or dangerous or tempting—she was afraid it would be perfect.

Her intimitation was from her ability not to fear the future. The thought that nothing mattered as long as she could have him.

So, as the two made their way back into the dinning room, she thought of the future and how completely amazing it would be. Toph was surely wrong about this.

* * *

_A/N: _Weeell, there's that for you. Your helping of Kataang from me for the week. Seeya next week with chapter seventeen and thank you so very much for the reviews. I appreciate them.

-Katara


	17. The Light Of The Sun

**Book One: The Oracle**

**Chapter Seventeen: The Light of the Sun**

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_A/N: _Please excuse my dear Aunt Sally... I mean, me. And no, that wasn't meant to make you laugh. I seriously typed that on accident, but it made _me _laugh, so I decided to keep it there. Well—please excuse_ me _for not posting sooner. I've been kind of... discombobulated—busy—um; struggling—stuck—err...grounded. But don't blame my evil, conniving Euro teacher. Blame me. She doesn't give me grades, I earn them. Which... is actually true, but also meant to sound as sarcastic as possible.

By the way, in this chapter, I use a reference to the French term 'déjà vu'. I'm not sure if that would exist in the Avatar world, for it _is _an adaption of the French, and obviously there aren't any French standings in any of the nations, but I threw it in there anyway.

Here you go and please review—

Be patient with me. I love you guys!

_This chapter is dedicated to RandomWarning. Again. Even though you're mad that I won't tell you about the secret Tokka story. Just think of it like this; the less I tell you, the more I care._

_Disclaimer: _I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

* * *

The rest of breakfast—or at least the small bit they managed to salvage—went by quickly and uninterrupted.

Sokka made his way outside, to the vast gardens of the Bei Fongs. There was a nice breeze that danced upon his face and through his hair, but the sun was comfortingly warm on his skin. As he came fully into the light, he was forced to put a flat hand out over his eyes to block them from the unbearable brightness. He looked up at the sky, and from his spot, he could assume the group would have to leave in the next few hours if they wanted to get anywhere today. Maybe they could stay just until tomorrow. The longer they did, the more time the trio could spend with the earthbender.

She was his best friend after all. What would he possibly do without her?

The warrior hummed as he half-walked, half-sulked down the path and around a sharp corner. A trellised archway marked his stop, when he spotted the most beautiful flower he ever saw. Amoung the many jade roses, only one caught his eye and stood out from the rest. It's petals were a pale green color and water droplets, like crystalline jewels, glistened on it at random, causing the flower to shine in the mid-day sun.

He bent his knees and squatted to get a closer look, the small plant eerily reminding him of the earthbender he couldn't get his thoughts away from. This single rose, thorns and all, reminded him so very much of Toph.

"What are you doing, Snoozles?"

Sokka jumped at the voice and in an attempt to stand, fell backwards. He tried to cushion his fall, but his hands didn't make it in time and in result, the boy thumped his head against the thick earth.

"Ow..." he complained, squeezing his eyes shut reflexively. When he opened them, he looked up at a black-haired girl, her arms crossed and staring uncertainly, yet suspiciously, down at him.

"How did you know I was here...?" Sokka asked slowly, trying to comprehend it himself.

"Earthbending, of course, silly."

Sokka furrowed his brow and turned over leisurely.

"Silly...?" he questioned, again using his passive tone. It took him awhile to get back on his feet, but Toph gave him the time he needed. He did hit pretty hard, and in that, she felt guilty that she frightened him.

The earthbender ignored his broken question.

"Katara and Aang were talking and I didn't want to interrupt. They seemed... _happy_," she stated, smiling.

Sokka looked at her for a moment and raised an eyebrow.

"Since when do you care if Katara and Aang are... _happy_?"

She shrugged and passed him as he stood there, practically scratching his head in his mind. Toph looked down near the flowers, and to a person who didn't know her, it would probably look like she was looking for the perfect one to pick. Her hands were intertwined behind her back, and for now, she felt at peace. There was so many things to be angry about—so many people to take that anger out on—and plenty of things to regret. But was any of that really worth it?

Toph sighed.

"I'll bet they're beautiful," she said after a moments time, her pale, sightless eyes still scanning the flowers as if studying their growth.

"What?"

Toph turned to him.

"The flowers. I... don't know why my mother enjoys them so much, but I have a pretty good feeling that it has something to do with their appearance." She paused. "She spends a lot of time here—my mother. And apparently a lot more while I was away."

Sokka looked at the ground. "They missed you."

It was a fact and the earthbender's pose slackened a bit after hearing it.

"Yeah. I really hurt them when I left. But y'know? If I could go back, I wouldn't change a thing."

"Did you miss them too?" he wondered aloud.

"Yes. But frankly, meeting you—and Aang—and Katara and Zuko... it changed me for the better. It's made me realize that life isn't anything if you don't have something worth fighting for."

She let out a breath she'd been holding. She didn't know why this situation made her tense—well, she knew, but she didn't want to admit it too much anymore.

Sokka had Suki, and just because he was taken, didn't mean he wasn't worth fighting for.

"I know what you mean," came Sokka's voice, finally understanding what her brawl with her parents stemmed from. It was true she had no real friends as a child and she was constantly couped up, but Toph really needed someone to let her know they were there for her. She needed someone to love her, but her parents could never play the part.

"Sokka?"

She took a step towards him, but stopped in her tracks.

"Hmm?"

"You may not have realized it, but you've helped me—_a lot_."

The warrior smiled warmly at her simple comment. It wasn't on a daily basis that Toph gave hand outs on how much she appreciated the people she interacted with.

The young earthbender walked torpidly by the swordsmaster and past the archway before rounding the corner, out of sight. He followed her, but stayed a distance behind. Sure, she could sense him there, but he felt as if she needed to be alone for a while. She was still struggling with things, though her strife would not go unnoticed to the people who cared about her.

Sokka regarded the sun an additional and final time, then stepped foot into the home of his best friend.

--

The morning had been strangly overwhelming, but in a way, mirthful as well.

The Avatar and the waterbending master were lying on their backs on Katara's temporary bed, enjoying the simple perks of life. It was silent in between their train of thought, but the silence was serene and the two could understand each other's reason for it. If one quieted, the other would fall mute as well, keeping a flow of emotions constantly running back and forth.

No matter what Katara brought up, she couldn't stop thinking about Azula and what she did to Aang at Ba Sing Se. That was so long ago, but the darkness that was packaged with those similar thoughts seeped out. Aang could tell she was conflicted, but stayed away from the touchy subject.

"Sometimes, I wonder—and tell me if I'm wrong," she started flatly, "that if our roles were reversed, I wouldn't be strong enough."

Aang glanced sideways at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean... if I was the thirteen year old, airbending Avatar, I wouldn't have enough perseverance to do what you did," Katara said in a thoughtful tone, "I just find it amazing, what you do."

The young airbender smiled brilliantly and grabbed Katara's hand, glowing with pride. "Well, for the record, I think you'd do a far better job than me." His smile slowly fell. "But as a monk, I strayed pretty far from everything I was taught all my life in a much-too-short span of time."

Katara could sense his instability, but also noticed how well he held it in. This is part of what she was talking about—if she was in his position, she wouldn't be able to stop the irrational actions that came with opposing every fiber of her known being. It just seemed... natural.

"We're here for each other, Aang. You care about me, right?" A small smile reappeared on the airbender's face as he dove deep into her eyes.

"More than anything," he replied.

"Exactly. And the same goes for me. You are the one thing in this world I absolutely can not live without." Katara turned on her side and caressed the Avatar's cheek gingerly with her thumb. "Together, we can get through anything. If you're feeling bad about the battle—the pain will go away in due time. I promise you."

The Avatar was the most powerful and intimidating person on earth, but like all great kings, had an significant other, just as equal to him in more ways than one. As long as the two of them could be a single unit and intertwined in spirit, mind, and heart, any obstacle could be overcome.

It really was strange how their systems worked, though. One would support the other and be stronger than ever before, but not too much longer after that, the roles would flip themselves.

"I think it's time we get back out there," said Aang, leaning forward to peck Katara chastely on the cheek. "Sokka's gonna get angry if we're not ready to leave. We agreed on one day; no more."

The waterbender shifted her head once in a brisk nod and sat up.

"That way we'll be able to make it back home in..." She trailed off mid-sentence and opened her mouth slightly in realization.

"In four days," Aang finished for her, leaning sideways and resting on his elbow.

"No, no, no... I mean..." She shook her head and giggled softly to herself. "Hawky," she stated plainly.

"Hawky?"

"Yes! Do you suppose Toph's parents still have him? If he even got here, I suppose..."

"Hawky...?"

"He must've made it here. That's what they're made for. Especially since this is a more well known place..."

Aang knew she was only rambling to herself now. The boy rose to his knees and scooted toward her to place a hand on Katara's shoulder. She turned to him with raised eyebrows.

"Now, what about Hawky?" he asked.

Katara's fretting stare softened.

"Do you remember when we rested outside that town Toph was gambling at?" Aang looked down, recalling a memory, and smiled. "Well, Toph asked me to write a letter to her parents. We sent Sokka's messenger bird, along with the note, here that night."

"Katara!" Aang whined, "He wouldn't leave me alone for days after that! He kept blaming me!"

She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry... It was kind of important."

"It's alright," he replied and took a seat beside her. "So, where does Hawky come into all of this?"

Katara smirked.

"If Toph's parents have him, we have a way to access the Palace and we can keep in touch with Zuko. We saw him a few weeks ago, but we didn't really have time for any updates."

The young Avatar's eyes widened. That was a good point. Zuko, being in the heart of the Fire Nation, could keep a more productive search going than they possibly could in the Earth Kingdom or the Southern Water Tribe.

"Let's find Sokka first."

Aang bolted up and held out his hand to her. She regarded it and cocked her head to the side.

"This is sorta like déjà vu," Katara said with a giggle, pointing at Aang's hand.

"What? How?"

The girl took his hand and allowed herself to be pulled up by him.

"It reminds me of the dance in that cave," she mused in recollection, "You putting your hand out like that."

Aang hummed and allowed a large smile with the thought of that.

"Ya know? I was actually pretty jealous of that girl you danced with," admitted Katara, making Aang's smile shift into a smirk. Katara let out a laugh and soon the two of them were laughing harder than they had in a long time.

"You don't say..." Aang replied, finding a moment of calm in between laughter, and glanced sideways at the love of his life as he picked back up in the chorus of merriment.

--

The warrior slouched down on a bench, his arms folded neatly behind his head, one foot crossed over the other. He was staring at the ceiling and so very lost in his own thoughts. He wondered to himself when he would see Suki again. He thought he loved her, and now that he thought about it—he didn't even know what love was. It wasn't something tangible or vulnerable. Sure, it could _make _one vulnerable, but that was an entirely different concept.

No one could touch love.

One couldn't taste love—nor smell it, nor hear it, nor see it.

So how was it possible for someone to know it was even real?

Sokka knew it existed. His sister wasn't just some infatuated kid. The way she looked at Aang when he wooed her couldn't be analyzed as anything but love.

But then, it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that fate took Yue from him and distance yanked Suki away. Katara didn't even have to _try_. She found a twelve-year-old boy, in an _iceberg _of all places, and he just happened to be the boy she most likely would end up spending the rest of her life with. Was Sokka going to discover a wonderful girl in a giant block of ice?

Signs point to no.

Sokka retracted one of his arms and smoothed his hair back a little. Hopefully, he could convince Aang and Katara to stay here another day. Katara was really anxious to get back home—for obvious reasons—and Aang—as always—would side with her.

He sighed, exasperated, and stood up. As he got to the door and entrance to the foyer, he automatically heard an echoing fit of giggles emerging from down the hall. The Avatar almost tripped coming out of the bedroom, a certain waterbender hand-in-hand with him. The top of his orange tunic slid down his lean arm and he pulled it back up, showing vaguely just how small a package such a large source of authority could come in.

"Sokka!" called Katara, ceasing her laughter just long enough to say her brother's name before calming down a bit. She put her free hand to her chest and breathed in deeply. "We were about to come find you."

The elder of the three kept eye contact with Aang as the couple found their way down the hall to him.

"And why would that be?" he asked. Aang released Katara's hand under Sokka's overbearing stare. The waterbender attempted to grab at it again, but Aang crossed his arms over his chest and smiled a fake smile.

It grew completely quiet.

Half a minute or so passed in dead silence, before Sokka reiterated his question.

"What did you need me for?" he asked.

Aang looked at Katara and she stared back, but didn't speak. Neither of them knew where their fear was coming from, but something about Sokka's voice was both icy and downcast, leaving them speechless.

"When—Yeah, are we leaving soon?" Aang asked, suddenly a bit nervous.

"Aang says we'll be home in four days if we leave today before sunset. Or something... like that. We'll see Gran Gran again for the first time in a—a year."

Sokka licked his lips and his eyes travelled to the ground, granting Aang a moment to let go of a breath.

"I was hoping we could stay another day," he mumbled.

Katara frowned at her brother's insistence. "But-"

"Please."

It wasn't a request. The lone word sounded like an order. A command. Something very un-Sokka.

"That's fine, Sokka. We'll stay as long as you want," Aang offered. Katara looked at him with a desperate face.

"Aang..." she breathed.

"Katara, if he wants to stay here, we should support him. Remember, there's no limit this time. There's no more comet and there's no more dead-line. We'll get back to your family—I promise." Despite Sokka's lousy mood, Aang took the waterbender's hand in his and kissed the top of it.

Sokka mumbled something incoherent under his breath, but then nodded as his eyes caught Aang's again.

"Thanks," he said quietly and walked past them in the direction of the kitchen.

The two watched as he made his short strides down the hallway and around a corner, out of sight.

"I wonder what's wrong... It stresses me to see him like this," Katara pressed.

Aang nodded as if agreeing.

"I know what you mean."

They stood there for awhile, lost for words and lost for actions. The search for Hawky and the malevolent Azula flew out of their minds in that span of time, as they could only think of their pained friend and possible ways to comfort him back to his regular self.

* * *

_A/N: _I repeat! I am so, so sorry this took so long!! I will probably have F.A. up tomorrow. It's mostly done, but I'm sleep deprived (and when that happens, my writing goes to mush)

Thank you for dealing with me and sparring the hate letters.

Please review, though. (_I cannot apologize enough to you guys...)_

-Katara


	18. Natural

**Book One: The Oracle**

**Chapter Eighteen: Natural**

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_A/N: _I advise, if you haven't, read the last chapter and the one before to refresh your memory first. If you delve right back into this, you may become a bit confused. Much appreciated. And I'm nixing the dedications, but I am very thankful for all of my reviewers.

_Disclaimer: _I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

* * *

A half an hour passed and none of the four friends exchanged a single word. Aang and Katara found a comfy spot beside the living room fire to take a nap, which wasn't very long, but it rested them. The Avatar pulled his waterbender into him, allowing her to rest on his shoulder, then he put his own head upon hers.

It wasn't long before Toph came out of confinement and passed the two, scoffing at the sight of them. _You think you're so great?_she thought, rolling her eyes. With her earthbending, she sensed they were sleeping, which was also made evident by the fact they weren't saying anything or acknowledging her. She didn't care, though. She let them be and made her way into the next room, which was a hallway leading to the place she would find her parents.

When she made it to the large doorway, she took a deep breath, which soothed her indefinitely. The girl pushed the door, ever so slowly, reminding herself that whatever happened is what happened and it didn't matter what the outcome came to be. She entered the room holding her breath, but then let it go, along with all the stress and bad vibes she could gather in a single gulp of dry air.

Lao Bei Fong glanced his daughter over meaningfully as he sat with his legs crossed, arms folded neatly on his silken green robes. His chin was raised just the tiniest bit, proving his high class standard and champion blood.

"Toph?" he questioned, excruciatingly calm, as if it was an attempt at being droll.

The blind earthbender stood before them, her shoulders slumped and her hair not quite as neat as they would've done it up. Poppy saw the slightest bit of misery under her daughter's thick outer shell and it caused her to grow dim as well.

"I didn't come back here because I wanted to." Toph's words were blunt and sudden, but she didn't mean to attack them. She just didn't care. "I'm a thirteen year old blind girl," she said. "I know it's hard for you to let that fact slip. I know it's bad enough that I can't _see_, but the truth is..." she took in a deep breath, "I would've told you this a few years ago if I wasn't so afraid of you thinking I'm crazy."

Air in the room swirled around with a thickness that suppressed all the inhabitants of it.

"What is it, Toph?" Poppy spoke, leaning forward slightly in anticipation.

"The truth is... I _can_ see. Just, not with my eyes."

The two adults shared glances and focused back on their daughter. Toph kicked the ground softly and shrugged.

"I guess that's it."

She turned to leave, but Lao pushed forward on his chair, standing. "Wait," he demanded. Toph paused, but she sighed as well, not pleased where this could go if it continued on. "I just wanted to know--You are staying, correct? Because last night wasn't exactly... precise."

Toph muffled her laughter as he spoke his final word. Her father was precision in it's entirety, and only then did she catch on to how annoying it must be to have such a rebel for a child. She knew she wasn't like her parents, but the thought that she _could've_ been was enough to find amusing. She started nodding however, walking toward the exit.

"If you're willing to have me."

The thirteen-year-old shut the door behind her on the way out. She felt so relieved. After their conversation the night before, she thought she would never have the courage to tell them the one thing she kept to herself. Being blind, whilst being able to see was something her parents couldn't accept, especially if it involved earthbending--or so she thought. Lao despised earthbending, though he kept her in amateur training only because it was important to know, just considering the slim chance she was injured, or captured. Or both. She would be able to do _something_, albeit, that something was very minuscule, if anything at all.

Toph laughed again, thinking about her father's logic. His insecurities were pretty hilarious, now that she could actually decipher them.

--

Aang opened his eyes. It was really, really warm. Not too warm, but a comfortable temperature, making him want to doze right back into sleep and cast away the world for just a few more hours. Which, in actuality, was possible. Today they weren't doing much, especially since Sokka was taking this time to say his goodbyes, or find himself, or whatever nonsense a sixteen year old boy might go through. Although, it would be nice to say their own goodbyes as well. Who knew when they would see Toph again? There was so much to deal with, and they desperately needed to contact both Zuko and Earth King Kuei before the end of the month, if possible.

The Avatar glanced at the girl beside him. She was his true love, and, he supposed, his right hand from this point on. She vowed to stay with him. Aang did love this theory, but in hindsight, he knew he shouldn't have let go of the subject so quickly. He needed to put up a fight and demand she spend time with her family. It was an important matter. A duty, maybe?

He shook her. "Katara. Wake up," he whispered, kissing her below her ear and smiling as lips met skin.

Blue eyes fluttered in a daze while the water tribe girl came to, waking up slowly, yet efficiently. Her head spun in just the slightest way, causing tiny black dots to fill her vision, but then promptly disappeared when she saw the boy who held her. She stifled a yawn and said, "What time is it?"

Aang shrugged at that. "Day time?" he offered with a smirk on his face. Katara clicked her tongue.

"Mmkay."

There was a pristine instant as slick silver captured cerulean blue. The waterbender was smiling with her eyes as she gazed at him, the tiredness only lurking in the background of her mind. It was too strange to wake up beside someone she cared for and trusted so much. Oddly, though, she figured she could get used to it.

Aang wrapped his arms around her and took her lips captive with his own. At first, it was a formless kiss. As he moved against her, it was almost sloppy. Freefall. He was lenient until kissing her became urgently necessary. Soon, the simplistic act turned into a battle of strong emotion laced with animation. Aang pushed his tongue into her mouth and she accepted it, then forced it out, using her own to seal her domination.

For only a little over a minute did this continue. They both found an end to it, the power becoming overwhelming and somewhat foreign, but also, casually lucid. Katara pulled away with Aang trailing behind her, holding himself steady.

"Well," he breathed, "I feel better."

Katara laughed. "Me too."

Not even a few seconds passed after Aang snuggled back against her did he remember why he woke her up in the first place.

Aang gave her a heartfelt squeeze and slowly stood, her eyes following him as she pushed off the ground and stood as well. She brushed herself down, the wrinkling kimono folding uncertainly against her. When it smoothed out, she did the same to her hair. Satisfied, she searched her best friend's face for some sign that could tell her what he was up to.

"We have a schedule today," he declared, searching around the room. Katara offered a brief nod. She was feeling a little punctual at his words. "Find out what's up with Sokka, say our best goodbyes to Toph, and..." Aang narrowed his eyes in thought, then brightened them up again. "Hawky?"

Smiling, Katara gave another nod. "Almost forgot about that. Do you think he's here?"

Aang shrugged. He grabbed Katara's hand effortlessly and the two of them slinked out of the room, ready for their mission.

--

"Complicated," the warrior boy mumbled across his lips, his arms crossed in a very 'manly' manner. He sat down. The house was so obnoxious in the sense that he, being who he was, had the right to call it that. It was too enormous. Or, was it too obsolete?

Toph's parents made it this way. _Her _parents. The ones who gave birth to her.

The theory was a lot to wrap his head around. There were actually people whom had a child, and that child became a young lady, and would some day be a woman. And he was slowly falling in love with her. And slowly, always slowly—because he was never good at doing things quickly—falling out of love with the girl he was _sure_ he would spend the rest of his life with.

So, complicated was the word he decided to settle on.

Because, although he loved it when the world laid itself out for him, he was never good at doing things simplistically, either.

When his sister rolled around the corner, he grimaced. The one thing in his life that wasn't complicated. But, somehow, it seemed like such a pain. _Obnoxious_.

"Sokka," she said, sounding surprised. He didn't know why, taking into account her next few words. "We need to talk."

--

Toph meandered around in her mother's garden after her chat with her parents. It was a place for her to think, and always has been.

She had the chance to think about herself.

She was so many things. The Blind Bandit—her previous status—but, in actuality, it was still within her. Not just as her fighting name, but rather, an indisputable inner calling she couldn't refuse to live with. Toph was proud of being blind. She was born without sight, and to most, this would account as a downfall. Something to be pitied for. Toph, however, saw the light within this opportunity—she was the greatest earthbender in the world.

She thanked the spirits she was blind.

The downside to this magnificent gift—or lack thereof—came down to missing out on the many things she wished she could experience.

Seeing the stars, watching the clouds. Knowing how the water moves and being able to identify the color of fire.

Though, most importantly, she wanted to see her friends.

Toph had a small sense of what they looked like. She could feel how their bodies moved, since all people had different body types, if even in the slightest. She knew Aang usually had no hair. By choice, not by reason. Katara had long hair and a lean, yet muscular figure.

And Sokka...

His body type was much like his sister's. Slightly less feminine, though still growing. He had an edge to him that most didn't, which Toph couldn't quite process in words. His eyes were large, though skeptical, and his jaw was set, adequately squaring out.

Toph bit her lip. He was the rare case where she genuinely focused in, trying with all her might to figure him out.

It was an art in her mind. The figures of people were sculptures of handiwork, ruthlessly detailed to function correctly, with as little flaw as possible.

To read them was a chore.

Toph sat down beside the flower patch from earlier that day. She took one of the bigger ones from the base of the stem and left just enough leverage to have the plant stabilize itself and face the sun. She gave it a soft shake, listening to the whooshing noise it made as it passed by her face. Then, the girl smelled it briefly, lifted it up and tucked it snug behind her ear.

She wasn't entirely sure when she fell in love with Sokka. Or when she started liking flowers, for that matter. They were two very different things, but they shared a single trait.

She would never understand either of them.

* * *

_A/N:_ Wow! I finished it, although, it's shorter than I would've liked. Please, please review. And the cliff hanger(s) were surely intentional. You should expect an update once a week, unless I declare otherwise. Thank you!!

-Katara


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